Government releases national egg consultation paper...

Government releases national egg consultation paper, in preparation for national free range standard

From:ABC Rural (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Moves are underway to establish a national definition of free range eggs.

The Federal Government has released a consultation paper as part of the process towards creating a national standard for free range egg production.

While an understanding of free range labelling is emerging from cases brought to court by the competition watchdog, no single national definition exists.

However Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia treasurer Meg Parkinson, a free range egg producer from Victoria’s South Gippsland, said a national standard was not necessary.

She said people’s expectations around welfare issues, like hen stocking density, were subject to change.

"Once it’s in an information standard, this is a prescribed legal standard under the Competition and Consumer Act, and it’s not easy to change," Ms Parkinson said.

"Once it’s in place, you’ll have to do it, even if it’s no longer an issue for the consumer."

The problem consumers face is that in some cases, producers represent eggs as free range that are not farmed under conditions that they would typically expect when they buy them.

However Ms Parkinson said consumers’ knowledge around egg production, was increasing.

"The majority of consumers know what they buy, they buy for their own preferences, and they don’t have a lot of trouble in doing it," she said.

"A lot of the noise around this has been just that. They’ve been doing it for marketing reasons for their own product or for some other purpose."

The industry has a voluntary code for animal welfare, and expectations around free range.

In addition some states have their own legislation, like Queensland where eggs labelled free range must come from production models with 10,000 birds per hectare or less. In the ACT, eggs must be labelled cage, barn, aviary or free range and these terms are defined in legislation. Meanwhile, South Australia has proposed a voluntary egg code.

One idea, proposed in the consultation paper, is legislating that producers disclose stocking density on the carton.

Ms Parkinson said this would be a waste of time.

"One of the options is basically the status quo, with some extra information from the ACCC, which may well deal with the concerns people have," she said.

"When I talk to people about eggs, mostly they find the whole debate a bit over the top.

"The eggs they buy, they go for the lowest price, or the lowest price in the category they’re interested in. Or they buy after talking to their neighbours, their friends or their work colleagues."

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