United Egg Producers Adhere to Science as the Foundation for the Animal Care Certified Program.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 2003

UEP Appeals Decision of The National Advertising Division of the

Better Business Bureau

The United Egg Producers (UEP) yesterday filed an appeal, based on scientific evidence, with the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) to overturn the recommendation to discontinue the use of the egg industry's Animal Care Certified logo. The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureaus, Inc. made the recommendation following a complaint filed by an extremist animal welfare group.

In 1999, the UEP commissioned a team of experts to review the scientific research and literature and provide recommendations for the humane treatment of hens. The committee was established as an independent, unpaid committee of academics, scientists and experts specializing in egg-laying hens that included representatives from the USDA and the American Humane Association.

"What was not addressed by the dissenting group is the scientific evidence that supports the UEP's Guidelines and thus the Animal Care Certified logo," said Dr. Jeff Armstrong, dean of agriculture and natural resources for Michigan State University and chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee that developed the Animal Care Certified guidelines. "The Scientific Advisory Committee conducted three years of extensive research on the appropriate treatment of egg-laying hens. We outlined several recommendations, which were accepted and implemented by the UEP as the Animal Care Certified guidelines."

The UEP announced its Animal Care program in 2002 that includes science-based standards for cage space per hen, air quality, beak treatment, molting, handling and transportation.

Egg farmers that voluntarily implement the guidelines and pass a stringent annual audit become an Animal Care Certified company and can display the Animal Care logo on their egg cartons and products. More than 200 egg farmers currently participate in the program, representing more than 84 percent of the nation's total laying hens (229 million layers).

The logo, a half circle with a checkmark reading "Animal Care Certified," was reviewed and accepted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being officially identified as the Animal Care Certified symbol, according to former Deputy Administrator of USDA/AMS Poultry Programs Howard Magwire.

"We are confident that the NARB will review the egg industry's proactive, science-based Animal Care program and recognize that this claim was made simply to push the radical animal rights agenda into the spotlight," said Ken Klippen, vice president of government relations for the UEP. "The egg industry is leading the animal welfare movement and we are certain that, upon hearing the facts, consumers and retailers alike will agree that the Animal Care Certified logo represents a scientifically-proven humane method for producing eggs."

The UEP is a farmer cooperative that represents more than 85 percent of commercial egg production in the United States. UEP provides a unified voice for America's egg farmers on a wide range of industry and public policy issues such as the environment and animal welfare. For more information, please visit www.unitedegg.org.