One third of all eggs labelled as 'free range' in Australia are from intensive farms - official industry figures

The Australian Egg Corporation has revealed that consumers are being conned on a massive scale. AECL's Communications Manager, Kai Ianssen has admitted that: '29% of free range egg production in Australia is sourced from farms that currently stock free range hens at densities greater than 2 birds per square metre (20,000 per hectare) and do comply to the Model Code of Practice. The egg industry wishes to address this erroneous situation.'

What an admission. So consumers are paying a premium for eggs which are identical to cheaper eggs from intensive farms alongside them on the supermarket shelves.

 Quite apart from the issue of consumer deception, the nutrient load from 20,000 hens per hectare is unsustainable. There are various estimates, but that figure represents a DSE of up to 800.

That quote from AECL should help the politicians see that the industry is incapable of self-regulation.