In March, the Australian government passed a legal definition to what “free-range” eggs constitute. As of March, free-range eggs are eggs from chickens with regular access to the outdoors, and chickens provided with square meter space.
In addition, new regulations concerning housing facilities for hens, and specifications include the size of barns and the design, was adopted as a result of more and more people concerned with animal welfare and voicing their opinions over the abusive treatment of chickens in egg farming.
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Egg farming in Australia: Industry trends and statistics
According to a market research report from the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), there has been a prominent shift in recent years in Australia’s egg farming industry, from cage-free to free-range eggs. This change has been brought about by concerned shoppers who deem the cage-egg production as cruel and unnatural.
Moreover, a growing number of people are asking that caged-hens production be banned entirely, and that producers focus on free-range eggs*.
- Egg production in Australia is largest in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, these three states accounting for almost 80% of all industry revenue, according to ANZSIC.
- More than 32% of egg businesses in Australia are located in NSW.
- Total revenue generated from egg production in the country is roughly $760 million per year, with an annual growth of 5.3%.
- Between 2011 and 2016, there were 208 egg businesses across Australia, employing over 2,300 people.
*Although producers argue that the cage egg system protects the birds from coming into contact with predators and certain ailments caused by environmental factors, most Australians agree that it doesn’t justify the abusive treatment.
Still, a free range egg didn’t guarantee ethical living conditions for hens
The line between cage eggs and free range eggs is blurry and what most people think of when they see the “free-range” label stamped on a carton is chickens roaming freely on green pastures, enjoying comfortable living and more than tolerable raising conditions.
The truth, however, was quite different for the one free-range chicken to another until recently. Farms were allowed to stock up to more than 20 thousands birds per hectare and label eggs as free-range even if hens lived entirely indoors, with the justification that space was provided to allow the birds to perform natural behaviors.
The Australian Model Code of Practice prepared by the Animal Welfare Committee defines free-range eggs as from “birds housed in sheds with access to an outdoor range for a minimum of 8 hours per day.” In relation to stocking, “a maximum of 1500 birds per hectare” is the acceptable density, except when “regular rotation of birds onto fresh range areas occurs, and close management is undertaken.”
Because many farms, however, did not adhere to the practices mentioned above, new national standards now prohibit producers from stocking more than 10,000 hens per hectare. In addition, farms are required to provide birds “meaningful access” to outdoor areas, and free-range labeling now asks producers to list the number of hens per hectare on the egg carton.
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It is a step forward to more ethical eggs, for sure, but work is still to be done in ensuring comfortable living conditions for free-range hens.