# Egg Farmers of Canada / Les Producteurs d’œufs du Canada

> Egg Farmers of Canada is the national, not-for-profit organization that coordinates Canadian egg supply, sets and administers farm assurance programs, funds research, represents regulated producers and markets eggs to consumers. Its unusual operating system combines production quotas, predictable import controls and cost-of-production pricing with mandatory food-safety and animal-care rules - a compact control room for a large, perishable market.

- **Founded:** 1972
- **Headquarters:** Ottawa, Canada
- **Team size:** Approximately 85 employees, according to the supplied company record and LinkedIn company profile.
- **Products:** National egg supply management, Start Clean-Stay Clean®, National Animal Care Program, Egg Quality Assurance™ (EQA®), Research program and Chair Network
- **Notable:** Represented 1,270 regulated egg farms and coordinated production of 937 million dozen eggs in 2025., Conducted 1,664 on-farm audits in 2025 through the national assurance framework., Helped the sector increase production by approximately 7.6% in 2025 during disease and demand pressure.

## Products & services

- **National egg supply management** — Forecasts demand, allocates production quota, coordinates with provincial and territorial egg boards, and balances domestic supply with trade obligations.
- **Start Clean-Stay Clean®** — Mandatory on-farm food-safety program based on HACCP principles, covering biosecurity, sanitation, storage, records and controls.
- **National Animal Care Program** — Mandatory standards, inspections, third-party audits and enforcement aligned with Canada’s Code of Practice for pullets and laying hens.
- **Egg Quality Assurance™ (EQA®)** — Consumer-facing certification joining the food-safety and animal-care programs under one recognizable carton mark.
- **Research program and Chair Network** — Funds applied research in poultry welfare, sustainability, economics and public policy through grants, chairs and institutional partnerships.
- **National marketing and nutrition programs** — Runs consumer campaigns, nutrition education and the Get Cracking® brand to grow egg consumption and explain Canadian production.
- **Free Range Standards Certification Program** — National requirements for range access, outdoor space, vegetation, popholes and perimeter fencing, approved in 2025 for early-2026 implementation.

## Achievements

- Represented 1,270 regulated egg farms and coordinated production of 937 million dozen eggs in 2025.
- Conducted 1,664 on-farm audits in 2025 through the national assurance framework.
- Helped the sector increase production by approximately 7.6% in 2025 during disease and demand pressure.
- Added more than 1.5 million hens temporarily in 2025 and nearly three million layers through permanent allocation to stabilize supply.
- Approved a national Free Range Standards Certification Program in 2025 for implementation in early 2026.
- Reduced the share of hens in conventional housing to 39.45% by mid-2025, from 52.88% in 2021.
- An independent historical study found the egg supply chain’s environmental footprint fell almost 50% from 1962 to 2012 while production rose more than 50%.
- Maintains ISO 9001 certification for its Operations Department.
- Named one of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers for 2026 and inducted into Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures Hall of Fame.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Explained how the national Animal Care Program will evolve with the science-informed Code of Practice review cycle.
- **2026-03** — Published the 2025 annual report, documenting 937 million dozen eggs, 1,664 audits and a 7.6% production increase.
- **2026-02** — Renewed the University of Guelph poultry-welfare research chair with a $1.3 million investment and appointed Dr. Alexandra Harlander.
- **2026-01** — Began implementing the national Free Range Standards Certification Program approved in August 2025.
- **2025-11** — Approved a roadmap toward net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions after consultation with egg boards and stakeholders.
- **2025-08** — Approved consistent national standards for farms marketed as free range.
- **2025-03** — Announced winners of the Student Innovation Challenge, spanning AI-enabled behaviour research, hen nutrition and animal-health tools.
- **2025-01** — Repealed Eggs for Processing quota after a multi-year review and converted it to more flexible federal quota.

## Links

- Website: https://www.eggfarmers.ca/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/egg-farmers-of-canada
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/eggsoeufs
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe06xYMc5MjSNCK6O9wIWzQ/featured
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eggsoeufs
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eggfarmersofcanada/

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-24