World Poultry Day: FOUR PAWS Urges South Africans to Look Beyond Egg Labelling
As consumers pay more for ‘free‑range’ eggs, FOUR PAWS warns that higher prices don’t always guarantee better animal welfare and calls for stronger standards across the poultry sector
Many South Africans opt to pay more for free range eggs, believing the higher price reflects a kinder, more humane farming system. However, despite the undeniable cruelty inherent to caged and barn systems, FOUR PAWS cautions that the on-farm reality of even free-range systems is often far more complex than it seems.
What the price difference doesn’t always show
While free-range eggs typically cost more than caged eggs, FOUR PAWS highlights that, in terms of South African laws, ‘free range’ chickens may be kept at a stocking density of up to 10 adult hens per square meter. These conditions restrict chickens’ ability to express natural behaviours such as dust bathing and foraging, key requirements of good welfare.
Avian influenza exposes deeper flaws
Recent surges of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in South Africa have further exposed the fragility of intensive poultry systems. During high-risk periods, producers are permitted to confine free-range flocks indoors continuously for nearly 6 months (24 weeks) of the year, which means that eggs produced under prolonged confinement can still be labelled as ‘free range’
A call for stronger standards and informed choices
While consumer choice delivers a powerful message, meaningful change cannot rest on consumer choice alone. FOUR PAWS calls for science-based welfare standards, reduced stocking densities and greater transparency across the egg industry, so that price labels genuinely reflect how animals are treated. At the same time, FOUR PAWS encourages South Africans to #EatKinder by reducing overall consumption of animal products and exploring more humane and sustainable alternatives.
FOUR PAWS’ calls to action
- Strengthen and enforce animal welfare standards across all egg production systems, regardless of label.
- Reduce stocking densities and ensure environments that allow natural behaviours.
- Increase transparency so consumers can make informed choices.
- Support a shift toward kinder, more sustainable diets through #EatKinder initiatives.
For more information, please visit our website at www.four-paws.org.za
/ENDS
Deidre Daniels
Public Relations Officer9B Bell Crescent, Westlake Business Park,
Green Building, Cape Town, 7945
A Public Relations professional with over eight years’ experience in fostering positive relationships between organisations and media.
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as 13 wild animal sanctuaries and cooperation projects across the globe, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.za