Manitoba Egg Farmers

Our Farms

Manitoba Egg Farmers (MEF) represents nearly 170 registered egg and pullet farmers in Manitoba who collectively produce about 57 million dozen eggs each year. In addition to providing Manitoba consumers with an abundance of nutritious, locally produced eggs, nearly 50% of our egg production is further processed and shipped all over the world.

Egg farmers in Manitoba have responded to the growing needs of the marketplace by producing a wide range of eggs for Manitobans to choose from, including nutritionally enhanced omega-3, as well as eggs from a variety of housing systems such as conventional and furnished cages, free-run in a barn, and free-run with access to the outdoors (weather permitting). For more information on how hens are raised, click here.

The Food We Eat

 

Manitoba Egg Farmers and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) work cooperatively at the farmer, grader, restaurant and retail levels to ensure that Canadians can have confidence in the safety and quality of eggs. Eggs travel from the farm to the grading station and then to the grocer’s cooler, all within a week. At the grading station, the eggs are washed in a high speed tunnel washer. Eggs are then candled by passing them over a strong light to remove any eggs that do not meet ‘Grade A’ standards. A Canada ‘Grade A’ egg must have a thick white and well-centered yolk, a very small air cell and a clean, un-cracked shell. On April 1, 2010, Manitoba Egg Farmers launched a Quality Assurance Program. This program ensures registered egg farmers follow best practices in food safety and adhere to standards of animal care that are supported by science. Through MEF’s Quality Assurance Program, egg farmers demonstrate their commitment to the quality of the eggs they produce and the care given to their hens. This program includes: Registered egg farmers must successfully complete Part 3 of the food safety audit, as proof of adherence to the requirements in Start Clean-Stay Clean™. A registered egg farmer’s facility must meet the applicable (cage, free-run) housing guidelines contained in the Recommended Code of Practice. A registered egg farmer must achieve a pass in the Egg Farmers of Canada Animal Care Program.

The Jobs We Need

Besides providing employment for registered egg and pullet farmers, the successful egg industry in Manitoba has created hundreds of jobs in related industries including feed mills, hatcheries, grading stations, and egg processing plants.

The Economy We Create

The egg industry in Manitoba contributes about 83 million dollars to the provincial economy each year.