COMMUNITY

Sustainability

Again the Greens and the National Party have more in common than imagined. National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce was a great supporter of the Federal Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling Laws) Bill 2009. Now NSW Greens MP John Kaye has introduced a Truth in Labelling Bill targeted at the egg industry…

The golden egg

Three main players dominate the egg industry: Pace, Sunny Queen and Farm Pride. The directors of these companies are also on the board of the powerful Australian Egg Corporation. In recent years, consumers have taken a much greater interest in where the eggs they eat come from and the increased demand for free-range eggs has benefitted smaller, independent farmers with sustainable practices. The 'Big Three' have responded to this development by producing their own 'free range' eggs.

While 1500 birds per hectare has been the industry standard for free-range eggs, there is no legislation to enforce this. The Egg Corporation is pushing for those with 20,000 birds per hectare to be free to call their eggs free range. The Egg Corporation argues Kaye's Truth in Labelling Bill (which recommends 750 birds per hectare) is commercially unsustainable.
With half a metre squared per bird, the Egg Corporation feels birds are free enough to be relieved from any stress. But anyone who's seen a farm chook knows they likes to wander. Even our urban chooks have more space (look at the healthy chickens at Taverners Hill Public School). The main players' chooks will still be crammed to maximum allowable density in operations focused on maximising profits, not the wellbeing of birds. The Egg Corporation purports that the different farming systems make no difference to the stress levels of the bird, however the research they have to prove this is unavailable to the public.

I understand this to mean that a bird is just as unhappy in a battery cage as it is in a 20,000 per hectare free-range environment. This is why their 'free-range' farms still engage in beak trimming (taking the hook of the upper beak from a chicken to stop it pecking at other birds). Small-scale free-range farmers maintain beak trimming is unnecessary if a bird is in a sustainable environment and claim no bird that has its beak trimmed can be classified as free range.

The Egg Corporation is trying to protect the industry's dominant players and their market share. If their classification of 'free range' prevails many smaller free-range farms will be pushed out of the market. Both sides maintain the onus is on the consumers to educate themselves and make their own decisions – but how can this be possible when there are lies in labelling?
For more information go to the 'Stop the free range eggs rort public meeting' – 7pm, Monday 7th May, Leichhardt Town Hall.

Words: Cindy Mullen