GEPA Eligibility and criteria

Criteria for the Good Egg Production Award for Chinese producers

1. Scope of Award winners
   The candidates need to be medium to large scale commercial egg producers and agricultural/husbandry companies or co-operations that have egg production as their main business. Candidates should have official registration in State Administration for Industry and Commerce in China and producers with a GAP standard (of People’s Republic of China) certificate will be considered first.
2. Qualification
   Producers with indoor or free range production systems will be considered and the following standards must apply:
   
   • Enterprises must be of medium to large scale, with more than 20,000 hens in indoor systems and 5,000 in free range systems
   • The waste disposal (manure and dead birds) and waste water discharge must meet national environmental standards
   • The business must be legitimate; no illegal records are permitted
   • The producer must be a member of ICCAW
3. Basic requirements (1 star Award)
   Producers must meet 6 basic requirements in order to enter the award:
   
   • Provide a good environment for the hens, including a comfortable temperature dependent on age, dry floor, good air quality (CO2<2500 ppm and NH3< 25 ppm), hygienic drinking water, and safe feed
   • Rearing requirements: There MUST be a commitment to end the use of cages (barren, enriched & colony) within 5 years; for producers using net / slatted and bedded ground floor rearing systems, the maximum permissible stocking density is less than or equal to 9 hens/m2
   • Nest boxes are provided at a rate of one per 4-6 hens
   • Artificial/forced moulting is prohibited
   • Use of hormones is prohibited. Antibiotics should not be used routinely in feed or water, unless in an event of a disease outbreak and in collaboration with your vet
   • Egg products should not contain hormones, antibiotics, heavy metals and other residues (third party testing report should be provided)
4. Additional commitments for 2 to 5 star Awards
   Current policy or commitment to achieve one or more of the following conditions in 5 years:
   Please note caged production systems (barren, enriched or colony) are NOT permitted. 
   
   • Indoor environmental enrichment: Provision of natural light, perches (at least 15cm per hen), and substrates for pecking, scratching and dustbathing (at least 1/3 floor area scratch opportunities – solid floor with litter or sand boxes).
   • Space allowance:
     • For Free range systems: Outdoor access must be provided for the whole of laying period, provision of natural and artificial shade and shelter; dustbathing and pecking opportunities must be available, OR
     • For Indoor systems: Net/fully slatted systems are not used. Hens are housed on a bedded floor at a maximum stocking density of less than or equal to 7 hens/m2
   • No beak trimming: A monitoring and treatment programme should be in place to record and reduce any occasional pecking problem
   • Breed: 
     • Dual purpose breed: A breed with a dual propose (for eggs and meat) is used, so males are reared and not killed at day old.
       OR
     • Utilising male birds: For commercial laying hen breeds, males are reared and not killed at day old
   • The award selection process
     • The review process consists of two rounds. The judging panel will decide which producers are eligible to pass to the verification stage (second round) according to the documents provided by the producers.
     • The verification and selection of winners will be based on scores, attributed by the judging panel during an on-site inspection, and relating to the basic requirements.
     • The basic requirements will be used to evaluate the farm’s current welfare conditions. Making a commitment means the producer has the intention to meet one or more of the additional requirements in 5 years and the panel will discuss with the producer, how he / she is going to meet the commitment. The panel will assess if the producer is likely to meet the commitment and will agree the number of commitments the producer can realistically make - due to the complexity of the issues addressed, we are unlikely to award more than two additional commitments per winner.
5. The Good Egg Production Award is a 5-star award, and producers MUST meet the basic requirements in order to apply. The ratings are as follows:
   
   • Producers meeting the basic requirements will receive a 1 star
   • Producers meeting the basic requirements and achieving or committing to one additional criterion will receive a 2-star award
   • Producers meeting the basic requirements and achieving or committing to two additional criteria will receive a 3-star award
   • Producers meeting the basic requirements and achieving or committing to three additional criteria will receive a 4-star award
   • Producers meeting the basic requirements and achieving or committing to four additional criteria will receive a 5-star award
6. Further information:
   • The awards will be implemented each year and will be valid for 5 years.
   • The winning companies will be required to report regularly on the improvement of their commitments to ICCAW and CIWF. CIWF will provide technical support as needed.
   • The award winners will be deprived of the award if they fail to honour the commitment(s) made within the 5 year timeframe, and will be publicized on both CIWF and ICCAW’s websites.
   • The award application and selection are free of charge. Candidate companies who enter the verification stage should pay ICCAW for the onsite verification. Winning companies should bear the travel cost of the trip to London if they want to attend.
   • CIWF reserves the right for final interpretation of the Good Egg Production Award.