Pesticide contamination in eggs tied to cramped hen cages: Expert

Taipei, Nov. 18 (CNA) The recent discovery of excessive pesticide residues in eggs is likely a product of the cramped conditions in which most laying hens are kept in Taiwan, a livestock expert told CNA on Monday.

Researcher Wang Chien-kai (王建鎧) made the comments following the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration's emergency recall of over 150,000 eggs from a Changhua farm last week due to excessive residues of the pesticide fipronil-sulfone.

Wang, an assistant professor of animal sciences and head of the Livestock Research Institute at National Chung Hsing University, said the contamination was likely related to the traditional battery cages that are used for around 90 percent of egg-laying hens in Taiwan.

About the size of an A4 sheet of paper, these cages are often stuffed with 2-4 hens, according to the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan.

In such cramped conditions, Wang explained, external parasites are able to easily breed and spread, necessitating the use of large quantities of pesticides.

In less densely crowded enclosures, hens frequently take dust baths to control parasites, allowing farmers to use smaller amounts of pesticides, he said.

In order to produce safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly eggs, Wang argued that consumers would need to accept paying higher prices, thus helping the industry make the necessary upgrades.

In remarks over the weekend, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) also alluded to the issue, saying that regulators would increase random sampling for pesticides in eggs based on their "risk level," with eggs stamped with a "C" -- meaning cage eggs -- receiving top priority.

Taiwan's egg traceability codes, humane certifications

According to a recent article on the Environmental Information Center (EIC) website, Taiwan's eggs are stamped with a two-line traceability code, with the top line denoting a specific farm or egg washing facility.

The second line indicates packaging date -- ordered year-month-day -- and includes an English letter, such as a "C" for cage eggs or an "E" for enriched cage eggs.

Cage-free eggs are labeled either with an "O" for organic, an "F" for free range, or a "B" for barn raised, each with its own regulatory definition.

Taiwan currently has three organizations offering five types of humane certification for eggs, the logos of which are typically featured on the eggs' packaging, the EIC said.

Of those, the two certifications offered by the Taiwan Society of Agricultural Standards (台灣農業標準學會) and the one offered by the National Animal Industry Foundation (中央畜產會) are less strict, because they allow certification for eggs raised in so-called enriched cages.

Meanwhile, the two certifications offered by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (台灣動物社會研究會) are considered to have higher standards, because they do not certify eggs from enriched cages, according to the article.