Review: What are the challenges facing the table egg industry in the next decades and what can be done to address them?

– by Joel Gautron and Sophie Rehault-Godbert (INRAE)

There has been a strong consumer demand to take welfare into account in animal production, including table eggs. This is particularly true in Europe and North America but increasingly around the world. We reviewed the main demands that is facing the egg industry driven by economic, societal and sustainability goals. We reported how table egg consumption patterns have already seen a major shift from cage to non-cage production systems because of societal pressures and how it still challenging the layer sector. We also described the development of extending laying period to reduce the number of replacement layers and improve the economics and sustainability. Finally, we reviewed the two main alternatives to the culling of male day-old chicks of actual layer breeds. Hence, the development of dual-purpose strains and in ovo sexing approaches are extensively discussed. Most of these changes are in progress and seem likely inevitable, at least in European markets.

Graphical abstract

Review: What are the challenges facing the table egg industry in the next decades and what can be done to address them? – J. Gautron, S. Réhault-Gobert, T.G.H. Van de Braak, I. C. Dunn. Animal, Issue 15, Vol. 7, July 2021. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100282