EFA Launches Revamped Sustainability Strategy

March 1, 2022 (Red Deer, AB) – Egg Farmers of Alberta is proud to launch our revamped sustainability strategy, which is expected to guide the organization and the provincial egg industry over the next 3-5 years.  This strategy builds off the tremendous success of EFA’s original sustainability strategy, which was launched back in 2014.

EFA’s sustainability strategy and enhanced focus on building a sustainable egg industry resulted in several significant initiatives and accomplishments over the past 7 years:

• Launch of EFA’s 4 pillars: healthy birds, healthy eggs, healthy farms, and healthy communities
• Publication of the Canadian egg industry’s first corporate sustainability report, which EFA published annually from 2015 through 2020, until all forward-looking targets had been achieved
• Launch of the Producer Environmental Egg Program (PEEP), which was the Canadian egg industry’s first on-farm environmental program, with a focus on energy, water, manure, and waste
• Opening of a net-zero egg barn that incorporated as many energy efficient design features and technologies as possible into a single layer barn; electricity net-zero was achieved for the layer barn by their third flock cycle
• Hosted 2 stakeholder engagement sessions to discuss the future of the egg industry with representatives from across the egg value chain, including farmers, graders, processors, retailers, foodservice, poultry veterinarians, and researchers

As part of our revamped sustainability strategy, EFA has developed pledges across our 4 pillars:

• Healthy Birds #1: EFA will apply the highest standards of animal welfare throughout the hen housing transition taking place in our industry.
• Healthy Eggs #1: EFA will strengthen the connection between consumers and the Alberta farmers who provide safe, fresh, nutritious, local eggs.
• Healthy Farms #1: EFA will increase our understanding of climate change impacts and mitigations to future-proof Alberta egg farms.
• Healthy Farms #2: EFA will support alignment of farm safety programs to add value for Alberta egg farmers.
• Healthy Farms #3: EFA will support the increased application of ‘circular economy’ practices on Alberta egg farms to capture value and minimize environmental impacts.
• Healthy Communities #1: EFA will increase demand for Alberta eggs by improving consumer awareness of sustainable egg production.
• Healthy Communities #2: EFA and the province’s egg farming families will positively contribute to the sustainability of communities across Alberta.
• Cross-cutting #1: EFA will enhance on-farm data so Alberta egg farmers can monitor and improve farm sustainability performance, while preparing for expanded commercial requirements related to sustainability.