• Demonstrate transparency. Despite the impact of bird flu, companies can still make and report progress on their pledges.
• Support small farmers. Implemented cage-free laws are not only good for consumers and animals—they’ve helped smaller, compliant egg producers flourish.
• Answer customer demand. Consumers continue to support cage-free eggs for ethical and public health reasons.
• Strive for progress over perfection. Companies should know that their customers want—and deserve—transparency on their cage-free progress.
• Focus on responsible sourcing. Egg producers are not predicting long-term disruptions in the cage-free egg supply.

Let’s be clear: the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)—commonly known as bird flu—has presented unexpected setbacks and challenges to cage-free transitions. But bird flu has not been a persistent obstacle throughout the 10 years these companies had to fulfill their commitments. It’s just a convenient excuse to cover up their inaction.

(We know this because we’ve followed up with these companies every year since they made their commitments.)

Despite the loss of over 148 million egg-laying hens, egg producers are not currently projecting major cage-free egg supply shortages through 2025 and 2026. And before companies can blame cage-free laws for high prices—and cage-free environments for higher rates of disease transmission—we’ve come prepared, with all the relevant facts and FAQs in our latest report.

Responsible corporations can still report cage-free progress percentages and share plans for achieving goals accordingly—instead of using recent headlines as an excuse for not meeting their decade-long deadlines.