21 June 2010
Free Range Farmers Association Inc

Consumers will be ripped off by the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd's plans to relax rules for free range egg production.

Under a proposal outlined in Melbourne last Wednesday night(16th June), hens will allowed to be de-beaked as a matter or course, they can be locked up in sheds for 25 weeks and the stocking density can increase from 1500 to a massive 20,000 birds per hectare.

The Victorian-based Free Range Farmers Association had two members at the meeting and FRFA president, Anne Westwood said “These proposed amendments, designed for major industry players, reinforce the need for a national definition for 'free range' eggs that doesn't mislead consumers into thinking they are buying welfare-friendly eggs”.

The AECL, which is about to publicly launch its Egg Corp Assured scheme, set up a working group some time ago to develop words which will allow major farms to continue to produce eggs which can be labelled as 'free range'.

The current definition of 'free range' used by AECL and the big egg producers in the industry is contained in the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry 4th Edition. It officially limits the number of birds to 1500 per hectare and requires farmers to manage the outdoor range to avoid muddy or unsuitable conditions – but there is little enforcement of those conditions and some so-called 'free range' farms have more than twice the number of allowed birds.

“The reality is that there are many 'free range' farms with static sheds containing 6000, 30,000 or many more birds who may have 'access' to an outdoor area – because there are holes in the sides of the sheds to allow some of the hens out – but there's little to encourage the hens to actually go outside. All feed and water is in the sheds and there may be little pasture on the land around the sheds,” said FRFA secretary Dianne Moore.

The Free Range Farmers Association has strict limits on flock sizes – a maximum of 1000 birds is allowed in each shed, one nest is required for every seven birds and the number of birds per hectare must not exceed 750 in the range area. (half the requirement in the current Model Code).

Apart from the numbers of hens, a fundamental difference between industry practice and FRFA requirements is the issue of de-beaking. The Free Range Farmers Association prohibits de-beaking (or beak trimming) which is standard practice on big farms. The Model Code states that 'Every effort should be made to avoid beak trimming by selecting chickens for reduced feather pecking and cannibalism'
“But we challenge anyone to find a big 'free range' farm in Victoria which has anything but de-beaked (or beak trimmed) birds,” said Ms Moore.

“The industry is geared to beak trim all chicks at day old or soon after, and few big egg producers consider any alternative. The selection of laying hens is based solely on production and all major 'free range' farms buy the same hens which were developed for the cage industry to lay the maximum number of eggs,” she added.

The AECL's Egg Corp Assured program does not require farms accredited to the program to demonstrate any attempt to address the potential problem of feather pecking or cannibalism before resorting to de-beaking the birds.

Because they run many thousands of hens, the big producers say that there is no alternative but to beak trim their birds to avoid cannibalism. Under the AECL's proposed definition for free range poultry, the already inadequate requirements of the Model Code will be watered down. Stocking density will be increased to 2000 birds per hectare, resulting in unsustainable nutrient loads, de-beaking will be accepted as a normal practice and the hens can be permanently locked in sheds until they are 25 weeks old. (They currently must be allowed to range outside once fully feathered).

“On a real free range farm with a low stocking density, cannibalism is not a problem, because the hens have enough room to escape from any aggressors.

“Consumer views appear to have largely been ignored by the AECL. It seems to us that to protect consumers, there is now a real need for a dual definition. Leave the term 'free range' for traditional low density egg farming such as practised by members of the Free Range Farmers Association and introduce a term like 'Intensive free range' or 'Cage Free' for the major players who don't meet the same standards. Currently the only way consumers can be sure they are buying real free range eggs is to only buy from a FRFA accredited farm,” Ms Moore added.

The Egg Corp Assured program currently has 19 accredited farms in Victoria. There is a total of 140 throughout Australia out of an estimated 500 – 600 commercial egg farms and many thousands of backyard operators who sell their eggs illegally.

Free Range Farmers Association Inc