Tim's Blog

Surprise, surprise. Today’s rural press contains reports based on a media release from the Australian Egg Corporation that one in six claims for free-range eggs are false. It seems that there just are not enough free-range chickens in the country to produce the number if eggs sold.

It seems that total egg production has fallen over the last few years, from 3 billion to 2,8 billion, but that the number of free range eggs sold has increased from 811 million to 971 million. It would require 1,22 million free-range hens to produce this number of eggs, a far greater number than the industry can justify.

I draw two conclusions from this report, apart from the obvious one that some one is telling ‘porkies’ about the chickens and that the claims are nothing more than some ‘creative’ marketing ploy to lift egg sales.

The first conclusion is that one of the greatest assets of the organic industry is our long-proven and well-respected certification scheme. We may get frustrated and annoyed by the bureaucracy and recording obligations of organic certification, but it underlies the significant consumer trust we enjoy and the premiums we obtain for our genuine organic produce. As I sometimes say, we need it just like we need local government (or any level of government for that matter). We may get annoyed and frustrated by local government bureaucrats too, but in the end, we need someone to collect the garbage and control stray dogs.

The second conclusion has to be that there is much more room for egg producers to convert to organic. Despite the frequent media claims from egg producers that they are doing their best, that they cannot afford to provide more space for birds and that their system is ‘humane’, it is clear that there are many consumers out there who will support ethical industries and “put their money where their mouth is” for high quality organic food.

I try to eat organic whenever possible but I do have to make compromises from time to time, especially given my intense travel agenda, however in the Marshall household there are two very firm rules of engagement for the thrice-daily ‘fork to mouth’ routine – I ONLY eat organic eggs and I ONLY eat organic broccoli. Broccoli, you say, why broccoli?

Well when I meet the Department of Agriculture executives who try to convince me that they have changed their ways, that they don’t recommend willy-nilly use of chemicals, that IPM is the norm for all their recommendations, I have one reply, “go and look at your Brassica fact sheets”. It is one area where the old recommendation, “spray at 14 days old and spray every 14 days thereafter still persists”. I recently found a media story from New Zealand where a commercial broccoli producer refused to allow a local home gardener access to his green waste on the basis of the risk of chemical contamination. He said he would not eat his own broccoli, destined for export markets only. That is pretty damning evidence.

For your information, we have included below the rules that the non-organic egg producers SHOULD be complying with.

CAGE

• Birds continuously housed in cages in a shed, with a minimum floor space of 550 sq cm per bird.
• Beak-trimming permitted.

BARN

• Birds continuously housed indoors but free to roam within the shed, which may have several levels.
• Stocking capacity not to exceed 14 birds a square metre.
• Beak-trimming permitted.

FREE RANGE (Egg Corporation and Primary Industries standing committee)

• Housed in sheds with access to an outdoor range.
• Stocking capacity within shed not to exceed 14 birds a square metre.
• Maximum 1500 birds a hectare.
• Beak-trimming permitted.

FREE RANGE (Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia)

• Unrestricted access to free-range run during daylight hours.
• Stocking capacity within shed not to exceed seven birds a sq m.
• Maximum 750 birds a hectare.
• Beak-trimming prohibited, as deemed unnecessary if above housing conditions are adhered to.