Australian ministers allow massive land degredation

Intensive egg production standards approved by Ministers for Consumer Affairs and the former Federal Minister for Small Business may lead to extensive land degredation across Australia. The Ministers have allowed farms with 10,000 hens per hectare to legally describe the eggs they produce as free range. But their decision was made without regard for the level of contamination caused by high nutrient loads. At the approved outdoor stocking density the hens will produce 5000 cubic metres of manure a year on each hectare and the nutrient mass balance on the land will be totally unsustainable. Nitrogen will be spread at the rate of 1780kg per hectare. Phosphorus at 7000 kg potassium at 3520kg and sulphur at 1760kg.