Burnbrae Harms

At Burnbrae, a lot of suffering goes into a little egg.

Tell Canada’s biggest egg producer: NO MORE CAGES.

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Urge Burnbrae Farms to Stop Investing in Cruel Cages

Day after day, hundreds of thousands of hens in Burnbrae’s operations suffer in cramped wire cages—without room to walk freely or comfortably spread their wings.

Burnbrae Farms, Canada’s largest egg supplier, claims to value animal welfare and transparency. Yet the company is still investing in cage confinement for birds and failing to disclose the number of hens cruelly kept in cages in its operations. Chickens can no longer wait for change.

Send a message urging Burnbrae Farms to be transparent about the percentage of its egg supply that comes from caged hens and stop investing in cages.

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The Overlooked Demand for a Cage-Free Canada

Over 80%

of Canadians surveyed agree that chickens need room to explore and exercise.

Three out of four

Canadians surveyed agree that keeping laying hens in “enriched” cages is unacceptable.

Of Canadians surveyed, 72%

support a ban on cage confinement of hens.

Of Canadians surveyed, 83%

say they are more likely to purchase cage-free eggs since being exposed to images and information revealing the conditions of caged hens.

Woman holding sign that says end the cage age
It’s clear—a majority of Canadians find cages unacceptable. In response, over 130 companies in Canada have committed to banning cages in their supply chains. But the Canadian egg industry continues to invest in the extreme confinement of hens.
As Canada’s largest egg producer, Burnbrae Farms has the resources and responsibility to do what’s right for consumers and animals—and

commit to no more cages.

The Horrifying Reality for Hens in Cages

Life in Confinement

Hens kept in cages spend nearly their entire lives on wire flooring. Most birds are given floor space no larger than a legal-size sheet of paper.

Degraded Welfare

Caged chickens are crammed so tightly together that they cannot express behaviours essential to their welfare. Running, jumping, stretching, foraging, dustbathing, and wing spreading are nearly impossible.

Physical and Mental Anguish

Cages force hens to endure painful health problems, such as foot lesions, bone loss, and liver disease. Left to just sit or stand for their entire lives, these naturally active and curious animals suffer from extreme stress and boredom.

Is Burnbrae Hiding Something?

Burnbrae claims to value transparency. Yet its packaging fails to show where its eggs truly come from. Burnbrae’s Naturegg Nestlaid labels feature images of green open-air pastures and happy cartoon eggs. In truth, its Nestlaid line is sourced from hens kept in cruel “enriched” cages—whose lives are far from happy.

The Cruelty of “Enriched” Cages

Enriched cages, also called “enriched colony housing,” are the egg industry’s response to consumer demand for an end to cages, and they fall far short of the public’s expectations. Hens in enriched cages suffer immensely. They are given only a few extra inches of space and still spend their lives on wire flooring. How many hens suffer such agonizing conditions in Burnbrae’s operations? We don’t know because the company isn’t disclosing those numbers.

Urge Burnbrae to be transparent and commit to no more cages.
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How the Industry Has Failed Hens and Consumers

2010–2017

Undercover exposés in the 2010s—including those of Burnbrae Farms’ contract operations—revealed the shocking cruelty birds endured in conventional “battery” cages in Canada. An outraged public demanded an end to all cage confinement for hens.

2017

By this time, about 100 companies across the Canadian food industry had committed to going 100% cage-free by 2025. After these pledges, the National Farm Animal Care Council released codes of practice for laying hens. But these standards fail to ban cages, and they allow the use of only slightly larger enriched cages.

2018

Burnbrae Farms, along with other egg producers across the country, continued shifting to enriched cages. The cruel confinement system grew to account for 14% of all egg production in Canada.

2022

By 2022, enriched-cage systems accounted for 32% of egg production. Burnbrae published its first sustainability report but failed to be transparent regarding the number of hens kept in cages in its operations. The percentage of caged hens in Canada raised for Burnbrae Farms remains unknown.

2023

Mercy For Animals’ annual Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard reported that while some companies were demonstrating cage-free progress, producers were seemingly disregarding the cage-free commitments of their biggest buyers—food companies now at risk of breaking promises to their customers and investors.

2024

Today, the Canadian egg industry and self-proclaimed industry leader Burnbrae Farms continue to invest in cruel “enriched” cages. Customers remain in the dark about how many hens suffer in cages in Burnbrae’s supply chain. We’re calling on you to urge the company to do better for animals and consumers.

Today

Now is our chance to stop enriched cages from becoming the norm in Canada’s egg industry. Egg producers around the world, including Noble Foods and Mantiqueira, have made cage-free commitments. Burnbrae touts itself as an industry leader dedicated to doing what’s best for customers and animals. It’s time the producer demonstrated its values by joining others in committing to no more cages.

Hens need you to call on the country’s biggest egg producer to do better.

When will Burnbrae join other leading producers and commit to NO MORE CAGES?

It’s not too late to spare millions of hens a life of extreme confinement.

Urge Burnbrae Farms to stop investing in all types of cages.
Take Action Now
Despite a global shift from cages, Canada—with great influence from industry giant Burnbrae Farms—is falling behind in ending cruel cage confinement of hens.

Percentage of Cage-Free Hens

17%
Canada
34%
United States
75%
United Kingdom
60%
European Union

Hens Need You

Every hen deserves to walk, run, and spread her wings. Join the movement to end the worst suffering for chickens raised for eggs.

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Urge Canada’s biggest egg producer to commit to no more cages.

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Choose Plant-Based Foods

One of the most powerful ways you can help hens is by leaving eggs off your plate. Download our How to Eat Veg guide today.

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