So which is better caged or free range eggs?

So there seems to be an increasing move toward eggs which do not come from caged hens.
So which is really better eggs from caged or free range hens?
If you consider the science only, eggs from caged eggs are significantly safer that those from free ranging hens and production is higher and more efficient.
If on the other hand you go by the humane / environmental view point, hens should only be free range and not held in cages ever.
Studies have shown that due to the design of the cages, there is little contact between the eggs and faecal matter, which obviously significantly reduces the amount of bacteria present on the egg surface. With free range eggs, there is a high likelihood of faecal contamination.
The bacteria, Salmonella enteritidis can be inside the egg during formation in the hen and is much more common in eggs from free range hens than in those from caged eggs. This bacteria is easily killed by heat and means that in areas where it is present, all eggs should be fully cooked.
The Egg Industry Center in the USA has found that over a 50 year period from 1960 to 2010, more eggs are being produced each year and that hens are living longer due to better nutrition, cleanliness and living environments.
The egg industry has a problem, eggs are recognised as being much safer, cheaper and in bigger quantities when produced from caged hens but the public has an increasing appetite for free range eggs.
How to address this problem?
The real problem is the image of hens being stuck in cages all their lives. This production method may be the best for the hens health and for ours and for the quantity of eggs produced but it simply does not look good.
So the industry is doing everything possible to maximise the comfort of the caged hens and maintaining strict quarantine and hygiene requirements to show that the hens are being treated humanely whilst in the cages. That they have room to walk aropund and to flap their wings and be safe and comfortable are the images that need to be projected.
It is a dilemma and that cage picture is a very hard one to counter, so the industry has to use the science to counteract it. It is a reality that no matter what the industry does there will always be a loud group of people who will be against caged eggs.