Brits take strong stand against egg producers who break the rules

The British Government seems determined to clean up the egg industry there – unlike our politicians in Australia who are happy to let unscrupulous producers get away with conning the public. The chief executive of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association,Robert Gooch has warned that free range producers should ensure that they remain within the rules.“It is important for the image of the industry that we follow not only the rules set down in legislation but also the rules of the accreditation schemes. Otherwise it gives consumers a right to be concerned about the standards of free range” he said. The EU limits the outdoor stocking density on free range farms to 2500 hens per hectare and the Government is launching prosecutions against producers who ignore that limit. Here, our Ministers for Consumer Affairs capitulated to major producers and gave them what they wanted, allowing a stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare. Now the only hope for consumers and genuine free range farmers is that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will continue to prosecute producers who breach standards established by Federal Court justices.