Paris (AFP)

Crisis of Fipronil, hens raised in cages, massacre of male chicks ... Touched in recent years by different polemics, the uf industry has improved some practices while, in the plate, the egg is still popular.

"The egg is an inexpensive and expensive to our hearts that is consumed worldwide," summarizes Philippe Juven, president of the interprofession CNPO, while takes place on Friday and in 40 countries the 24th edition of the world day of the egg.

The opportunity to show how the industry has handled some scandals, including that in the summer of 2017 the contamination of eggs in Northern and Eastern Europe with Fipronil, a banned ban in the food chain, which has caused massive slaughter of poultry.

"It has been shown that there is no illicit product in France", welcomes Mr. Juven. "This shows the importance of traceability procedures". In his cartons, the National Committee for the promotion of the egg had a project and this crisis prompted the organization "to implement as soon as possible" the label + eggs of France +, in the spring of 2018.

Inseparable from the egg, chickens and chicks also make the chronicle because of their living conditions and breeding.

"The industry has made the commitment to have one hen out of two in alternative breeding by 2022. We are ahead, the goal will be reached in 2021", proclaims Loïc Coulombel, vice president of the CNPO.

The challenge is to abandon the cages in which hens are most often parked for a more fulfilling living environment.

The share of French hens known as alternative farms doubled in ten years to 42% in 2018, ensures the CNPO. In the last five years, the number of cages has decreased by 3.7%, benefiting the organic sector (+ 27% of laying hens in the first half).

"We can not deny, things are moving forward," acknowledges Hélène Gauche, L214's food relations manager. The animal welfare association has awakened public opinion by filming shocking scenes on the farms, in a hidden camera.

- The challenge of male chicks -

"There is a movement out of the cages, but all the producers have not made any commitments ... We are asking them to take the one to completely abandon the cages by 2025. In June, the group Avril made move the lines by committing to this, "she continues.

Because the egg, universal and multiple (organic, red label, ground breeding, ovo-products ...), remains one of the favorite ingredients of the French whose selling price oscillates between 10 (entry level) and 40 centimes (organic egg) piece. In 2018, sales increased again by 1.9%.

The French market, which represents 46 million chickens and 14.3 billion eggs scattered in 2,300 farms, even weighs 12.3% of European production, according to the CNPO.

This activity, however, causes collateral casualties, especially male chicks, considered useless and hitherto systematically eliminated at birth.

"It is unacceptable, still criticizes Mrs Left, and + sexing + (the knowledge since the egg of the sex of the future chick), is a huge stake for the sector".

"We were waiting for legislation that has not come in. If this lags behind, we could become more active because there is no reason for the industry not to act quickly," she warns.

The industry has seized on the subject, particularly in Germany via an intrusive egg sampling to genetically determine sex and in France via an "in ovo" optical method developed by Tronico, but no technique has been used. is currently marketed on a large scale.

"We can not speak of beginnings but we are still far from reaching the objectives set," laments Maxime Chaumet, the secretary general of the CNPO.

In the near future, technology could however put an end to these + genocides + traumatisants.

It will then remain to settle the question "of the beaks which one cuts, problems of density, absence of natural light or the end of life of the laying hens", continues the militant of L214.

For the latter, today killed at 18 months when their fertility decreases, the small egg producer Poulehouse proposes a marginal initiative: it offers its laying hens, housed and fed until their natural death, a well-deserved retirement .

© 2019 AFP