Retail Council of Canada
The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is a national organization that advocates for and represents various Canadian retailers, including grocery chains (e.g. Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, and Walmart). These grocery chains are major purchasers of Canadian eggs.
Stance
In 2016, the RCC pledged that all grocers they represent would switch to cage-free eggs by 2025. In 2021, the pledge was changed to:
“...pursue and make commitments solely through NFACC, thus removing previous commitments on cage-free eggs, and RCC members will continue to make independent decisions on which products they source.”
- RCC Statement on Animal Welfare (source)
Reasons given for this change were:
Financial Barrier
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Premiums on cage-free eggs are a financial barrier to both retailers and consumers.
Welfare
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Enriched cage housing has been shown to provide good hen welfare when flocks are kept to recommended sizes and managed well.
Suppliers
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Difficulties finding enough suppliers to meet cage-free goals.
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Loblaw’s states: “ We are committed to transitioning to 100% cage free eggs as soon as practically possible. We have made progress towards this goal ... In 2021, however, it became evident that our farmer partners would not be able to meet the 2025 timeline” (source)
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Enriched should remain an option
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Justification against transitioning solely to cage-free is found in Loblaw’s “Animal Welfare Principles” statement:
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“cage-free refers to a wide range of housing systems that vary in space, group size and access to amenities. It is now clear that the welfare of birds in such systems varies widely depending on specific options and on the skill of the staff to manage birds in less structured housing. There is also debate about the relative merits of “colony” housing (sometimes called “enriched cages”) that provide more space and opportunities for natural behaviour for groups of modest size.”
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RCC says it will still be transitioning fully to cage-free, but the timeline for completion is no longer declared.