Sustainable Development in egg production : Perceived key challenges farmers face in Germany

Abstract:  The subject matter of this paper is a comparative review of egg production systems for theircontribution to sustainable development of egg production in order to assess the perceived challenges of eggfarmers in Germany. The thesis features a case study which presents two farms located in Germany, andimplementing different farming methods. The floor-range farming method and the organic system illustrate thisexample. The methodological approach is based on a three-phase framework, in which significant issuesconcerning sustainable development are presented (Phase 1), the significant issues are translated into sustainableindicators (Phase 2), and the contribution of sustainable indicators to sustainable development is assessed (Phase3). Phase 1 and 2 build on an extensive literature review and farmers consultation. Phase 3 relies on numericalcomparisons. A comparative analysis of the empirical data is based on theories and the developed conceptualframework. Based on the comparison of two specific farms, the results of this work indicate that the organicfarming system reveals the least negative contribution to sustainable development of egg production in Germany.The floor-range farming system shows a slightly more negative contribution to sustainable developmentcompared with the organic EPS. The organic farming system, therefore, is considered the better animal-friendlysystem. It is certainly noteworthy to mention that the organic system however fail to contribute to sustainabledevelopment from an economic perspective. Thus, the main perceived challenge for the organic farmer is tooperate his organic business in a more profitable way. The floor-range system on the other hand, succeeds tocontribute to sustainable development in economic terms, but fails to contribute positively from an ecologicaland social perspective. Therefore, the farmer operating the floor-range EPS needs to improve the ecological aswell as social conditions on his farm in order to achieve an equal positive contribution to sustainabledevelopment.