Free-range egg production definition to be considered by states
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Version 0 of 1. States and territory ministers will consider a plan for a national, legally enforceable definition of free-range farming to end confusion surrounding the industry. With current free-range egg production standards varying widely across Australia, the NSW minister for fair trading, Matthew Mason-Cox, will propose rationalising the laws at a meeting of his counterparts in Cairns on Friday. "NSW Fair Trading recommends a binding national information standard be developed under the Australian Consumer Law that sets a clear definition of ‘free-range’ and a minimum labeling requirement,” NSW Fair Trading spokeswoman Teresa Mullen said. Eggs carrying the free-range label attract a price premium over cage and barn-laid eggs. But currently, certification standards are set by a range of industry bodies and animal welfare organisations. Adherence is voluntary in all states except Queensland and the ACT, which have set the acceptable hen density at 10,000 and 1,500 birds per hectare respectively. While CSIRO’s current code of practice specifies a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare, farms stocking more than 20,000 hens per hectare are common and are also carrying the free-range label. Consumer affairs organisation CHOICE’s spokesman, Matt Levey, said he “warmly welcomed” plans for a binding national standard. “Australian consumers have had a situation for far too long where they’re getting ripped off and are paying more for free-range eggs, without any confidence that they’re getting what they’ve paid for,” he said. “Our own consumer research has shown that free-range egg buyers, who buy 40% of eggs in Australia, would prefer a standard closer to 1,500 hens per hectare." In August last year, CHOICE launched a “super complaint” with NSW Fair Trading which stated free-range egg labels had considerable potential to mislead consumers. In their complaint, CHOICE said free-range products cost more than double cage eggs and almost one fifth more than barn eggs, but there was no relationship between standards and price. “Consumers are at real risk of being misled by businesses wanting to cash in on the premium that a free-range product attracts,” the complaint said. In their response, NSW Fair Trading agreed the lack of a consistent, standard definition of what is meant by “free-range”, coupled with the prevalence of varying industry certification schemes, made it difficult for consumers to know whether eggs met their expectations of free-range production. The Australian Egg Corporation Limited, which represents approximately 400 Australian egg producers and has previously pushed for limits of 20,000 chickens per hectare, had not yet responded to Guardian Australia requests for comment by Wednesday evening. |