History and Background
Concerned with the disastrous price cycles of the egg industry and with no unified voice to address industry issues, a group of producers met in the fall of 1968 to discuss the formation of an organization that could provide the needed industry leadership. Their vision was to establish an organization that could provide the following services to the industry:
* Price Discovery.
* Production and Marketing Information.
* Unified Industry Leadership.
* Establish a Strong Relationship with USDA.
* Develop a Washington Presence.
* Support Strong Industry Promotion Efforts.
Out of the 1968 meeting, United Egg Producers (UEP) was created as a federated Capper-Volstead Agriculture Cooperative of five regional marketing cooperatives. Individual egg producers were invited to be members of their regional cooperative and in turn would therefore be members of UEP. The first year’s budget was set at just over $1 million and members paid dues at the rate of 3 cents per case.
UEP membership is available to any person, firm, partnership or entity qualifying as a Capper-Volstead producers engage in the production of eggs. Membership is also available to owners of breeder flocks, hatcheries, and started pullets, as well as contract egg producers and cooperatives that meet Capper-Volstead guidelines of owned or leased production facilities.
Through the years UEP’s basic objectives have expanded to include additional services to members in the areas of government relations, animal welfare, environment, industry coalition building, nutrition, egg trading, member service programs, supply/demand recommendations and communications.
UEP’s leadership has been the driving force behind:
• A Government Relations office in Washington, D.C.
• Establishing the Egg Clearinghouse, Inc. (ECI).
• Sponsoring legislation to create the American Egg Board (AEB).
• Creating the first egg industry PAC fund (EggPAC).
• Establishing the Egg Nutrition Center (ENC).
• Establishing the United Egg Association Further Processors.
• Establishing the United Egg Association Allied Division.
• Establishing the United Egg Association Producer Packer Division.
• Establishment of Food Safety Total Quality Assurance Programs.
• Formation of the UEP Scientific Advisory Committee for Animal Welfare.
• Writing the industry’s Animal Welfare Guidelines.
• Continuation and growth of the United States Egg Marketers (USEM).
• Establishment of the UEP Environmental Scientific Panel.
The industry has changed considerably in 30 years, but the structure of UEP has remained very much the same. Like the industry itself, the organization needed to be streamlined to become more efficient and effective to meet the changing needs of the membership. These changes began to take place in 1998. Some examples are:
•Since 1998 all regions have consolidated their staff and services into UEP.
• By-laws were amended, changing the organization from five regional members to individual producer members.
With the organizational structure change, the producer response was overwhelmingly supportive. This change gave the producers more direct access to the national office and thereby greater input into establishment of policy and future missions. The membership has grown in response to these changes and more producers are involved than ever in UEP’s Board and Committees. The UEP membership now represents egg producers owning more than 95% of all layers in the U.S.
Like the founding producers in 1968, the current members have a vision for the future. One important thing that has not changed is that the organization is responsible to the membership and is operated by a Board of Directors made up of producers elected annually.
One way that UEP keeps our members updated on these issues and services is though the bi-weekly UEP "United Voices" newsletter. Because UEP and our industry are involved in so many important areas with regards to government relations, environment, food safety and animal welfare the timely sharing of information is critical. "United Voices" keeps the membership on the leading edge with how these issues and others impact our industry and how it shapes our priorities and policy.
