Organic eggs have worse impact on climate than eggs from caged chickens
Organic eggs have been found to have a worse impact on the climate than eggs from caged chickens, with research suggesting that adopting an organic free-range model in the UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2. The study, which used data from 2009-2010, also found that organic free-range production scored worst in its potential for water eutrophication, acidification, and land use. However, the researchers acknowledged that the study did not capture more recent developments in egg production and did not take into account other environmental impacts such as pesticides or biodiversity.
- ▪Organic free-range egg production has a higher environmental impact than caged egg production, with higher greenhouse gas emissions and land use.
- ▪The study found that switching the UK's entire egg production to an organic free-range model would lead to emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2.
- ▪Chicken mortality was also highest in organic free-range farming, according to the researchers.
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| Original publisher | World news | The Guardian |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/29/organic-eggs-climate-caged-chickens-carbon-emissions-environment |
| Publication time | Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:00:24 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-29T04:16:55.323Z |
| Last seen | 2026-07-29T04:16:55.323Z |
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Organic free-range production also scored worst in its potential for water eutrophication, acidification and land use. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenOrganic free-range production also scored worst in its potential for water eutrophication, acidification and land use. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty ImagesEnvironmentOrganic eggs have worse impact on climate than eggs from caged chickensAdopting organic free-range model in UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2, study suggestsDamien GayleWed 29 Jul 2026 00.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 29 Jul 2026 00.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleOrganic eggs are twice as bad for the climate as eggs from chickens living in cages, research suggests.According to the study, switching the UK’s…
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