Science - June 23, 2010

Rondeel egg at Albert Heijn

Caretaker minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Gerda Verburg put the first 'Rondeel eggs' on the supermarket shelves. The eggs can be recognized by their round box, the same shape as the barn they were laid in.

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The rondeel concept was thought up in 2004 by Wageningen researchers. In the context of the Houden van Hennen (Love of Chickens) project, they researched the scope for building a chicken shed that would cater for the needs of the layer hen, the poultry keeper and the environment. They came up with two designs, the plantage and the rondeel.
A group of entrepreneurs set up Rondeel BV in 2008 to get the design into production and use. The first rondeel chicken barn was opened in April 2010 by poultry farmer Brandsen in Barneveld, with the support of Barneveld council. Animal welfare organization the dierenbescherming awarded the rondeel egg three stars under the 'Better Life' label. And now supermarket chain Albert Heijn is taking care of the distribution of the eggs.
See also: Chicken-friendly coops from ASG are now for real