Scare tactics': Greens hit out over free range eggs plan
Tim Barlass
May 5, 2012

New standards are being introduced to the egg industry this month.

The Australian Egg Corporation want to allow higher density stocking rates for free range hens.   :-?

The Greens have accused the Australian Egg Corporation of using misleading and deceptive scare tactics to advocate new voluntary standards allowing higher density stocking rates for free range hens.   

Last month The Sun-Herald reported the Corporation's managing director James Kellaway saying that if the current recommendation for free range hens of 1500 hens per hectare was not lifted to 20,000/hectare then Australia would be forced to import eggs from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

But the Greens planning to raise the density issue in Parliament, have responded saying that to allow fresh shell eggs to be imported would require a change to the current law by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. Quarantine protocols only permit imports of cooked, processed eggs and egg products.


Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon will be making an adjournment speech about the issue and following it up in the Rural Affairs Committee at Senate Budget Estimates in two weeks time.   :)

Animal welfare spokesperson Senator Rhiannon said: "The Australian Egg Corporation is peddling deceptive scare tactics in its bid to defend the battery cage and higher stocking densities for free range hens.   :(

“Talk of a flood of egg imports from countries like the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam is wrong and highly irresponsible.   >:(

“This scare campaign is designed to hoodwink the public and cement changes to the code that will compromise living conditions for laying hens in Australia."

A spokesman for the Corporation, however, said if legislation was introduced that restricted the egg industry's ability to operate, then there was a likelihood of the need to import eggs.   ::)

He cited the example of the UK where there is a restriction on outdoor stocking densities and said egg imports had been increasing at the rate of 8.4% on average each year since 2003 and in 2010, the UK imported 148 million dozen.

He said: "This is not about AECL 'hoodwinking the public' but taking a responsible, proactive and transparent approach given society's challenges over the longer term and ensuring a sustainable, affordable and available range of fresh eggs for all Australians.

The Corporation came under attack from a second quarter with the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia accusing it of misrepresenting Scottish scientific research to mislead consumers.

The Association said the Scottish Agricultural College had denied claims by the Corporation that its research supported free range stocking densities at 20,000 hens per hectare.

In a statement it quoted Dr Victoria Sandilands, head of the SAC's Avian Science Research Centre saying: “If the Australia Egg Corporation think that 20,000 hens/hectare is acceptable outdoors, then it would be too far a stretch to say this is based on our work. This alteration would need considerable research on what is acceptable outdoors to back it up." Phil Westwood, spokesman for the Association, said: "This deception highlights the need for legislation to set a maximum stocking density for free range egg production, similar to the regulations in Queensland [of 1,500/hectare]."

The Corporation responded stating it acknowledged there was no known research globally on optimal outdoor stocking densities for free range laying hens – and that included densities of 1500 hens per hectare.

The spokesman added: "The Scottish research considered spatial requirements that allowed optimal behaviours for the hens. It was used as one of many pieces of evidence to assist determine the Corporation's maximum permissible density.'


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/scare-tactics-greens-hit-out-over-free-range-eggs-plan-20120505-1y5ff.html#ixzz1tyQcsumC

from 1500 to 20.000 I dont think so.. I only buy free range they are not that much dearer than the others..I would be ashamed to buy caged eggs..

can we have a petition on this one crook.. wheres GETUP? they are good at petitions..or isnt this big enough..

how can wee put animals in cages 24/7  in this day and age I will never know


shame shame shame.

Yet again another reason to vote 1 Australian Greens.  The fair and sensible people.   :)

My flatmate buys ultra-large cage eggs. I asked him about it one day and he said "meh". I cant believe it. How can anyone do that? When I quizzed him further he did know how they are kept and where the eggs come from. Just doesnt bother him. Oh did I mention hes a religious nut?

SOB

I always by organic free range eggs, meat and fruit and veg. But I can understand why it may be a tad expensive for those on a limited income with a house full of kids.

wrote on May 5^th, 2012 at 4:40pm:

Yet again another reason to vote 1 Australian Greens.  The fair and sensible people.   :)

Under greens open border policy we can not discriminate eggs on nationality...

I only buy free range eggs, sometimes organic, sometimes not.

If you have ever been inside a shed with hundreds of battery hens, you probably wouldn't buy cage eggs again.....

Saw a documentary once about chinese counterfeits .... it was cheaper for a chinese company to make fake eggs rather than get their eggs the traditional way ... and you could not tell the difference between the real egg and the counterfeit (raw eggs) , shell looked the same, cracked the same, yolk looked the same ... exactly identical in every way .. the only problem was they were using toxic chemicals to make the couterfeit, but they didn't care, profits came first ... importing eggs can be a disaster ... we need to preserve our primary produce industries however we can

There was an email doing the rounds a few years ago about this, but didn't it turn out to be a hoax?  After all, even with the low wages in China, the process (if indeed it is possible) would be fairly involved and surely would cost much more than it would to wait for a chicken to do what comes naturally to it....

Frances wrote on May 5^th, 2012 at 6:51pm:

I only buy free range eggs, sometimes organic, sometimes not. If you have ever been inside a shed with hundreds of battery hens, you probably wouldn't buy cage eggs again.....

Tasmania to ban battery hen farming
May 18, 2012

http://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/files/2010/11/chickens_crop1.jpg

Tasmania is to become the first Australian state to ban battery hen farming and will fast-track the phasing out of pigs in sow stalls.

http://blog.petaasiapacific.com/wp-content/uploads/sows1-P-Mark-300x225.jpg

The Government announced $2.5 million for animal welfare in yesterday's state budget, including a phase-out of battery farming and the fast-tracking of a planned ban on sow stalls by the middle of next year.

Primary Industries Minister Bryan Green says the Government will immediately ban any future battery hen operation and cap the existing number of pens in production.

The Government says it will help farmers transition away from battery hen and sow stalls in response to a growing consumer preference for products that are sensitive to animal welfare.

"The demand for locally produced eggs, particularly free range, is growing and the industry acknowledges this change and is eager to work with Government on a transition," he said.

"Labor and the Greens have a shared commitment to progressing this issue in partnership with industry."

A national animal welfare group has praised the move.

Lyn White from Animals Australia says it is a significant first step for Australia and follows the European Union battery hen ban at the start of this year.

"This is going to be significant in regards to how Tasmania is perceived both internationally and by the rest of Australia, she said.

"For Australia not to be following suit when 27 countries there have made that decision has been profoundly disappointing.

"Tasmania having, I guess, the foresight to do this in knowing that consumers are now wanting to see animals treated humanely, hopefully that will be a wake-up call for other state governments."

The RSPCA has also welcomed the move but Tasmanian egg producers have reservations.

John Groenewold from the Commercial Egg Producers Association says 65 per cent of eggs sold in the state are from caged hens and the transition will be costly for farmers.

He says it costs farmers considerably more to produce barn-laid, or free-range eggs, and cheaper caged eggs are still more popular.

"We're not sure if it's the right way to go about it. The best way to orchestrate a change would be to encourage consumers to make that shift."

"We think change should be consumer-led and the Government can promote consumers or encourage consumers to buy non-cage eggs and they're prepared to pay that premium, which isn't excessive in most cases, we're quite happy with that.

"That would mean that cage demand or cage production would diminish," he said.

The industry has not been given a timeframe for the phase-out.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-18/tasmania-to-ban-battery-hen-farming/4019200

Quote:

if the current recommendation for free range hens of 1500 hens per hectare was not lifted to 20,000/hectare then Australia would be forced to import eggs.

That's a bit of a jump.

Anyone who can own a few chickens, should.

Anyone with a soul that's ever been in an intensive farmed chook shed, battery egg farm, slaughterhouse or piggery would only ever buy organic, free range and ethically treated produce or would be a die hard vego.