Canadians on paper in favour of free range eggs
A recent poll commissioned by the Vancouver Humane Society showed that 63% of Canadians indicated they would support a legislative ban on battery cages in their province, an increase from a similar poll in 2007.
The survey also found that 72% of Canadians are willing to pay more for farm animal products that are certified humane, while 54% are willing to pay a higher price for cage-free eggs.
However, a full 81% believe that farmers take good care of their animals, and 62% think that animals are treated humanely in the process of producing food.
VHS director Leanne McConnachie thinks that that is a misconception. “People still believe that the majority of farming that occurs in Canada is still using the traditional style, that we are using traditional techniques—that factory farming is something that only happens in the US and is used only a limited amount in Canada,” she says.
The Vancouver Humane Society wants Canadians to make 2010 a better year for chickens by purchasing organic, free range, or free run eggs—or even abstaining from eggs altogether.
Ten percent of Canadians polled and a full 21% of British Columbians already buy cage free eggs. VHS’s goal for B.C. is 50 percent by 2013.
Around 90% of all Canadian hens are kept in cages.
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