Risk of Infectious Bursal Disease

Deadly Infectious Bursal Disease Virus has been detected at two egg farms in New Zealand, which will threaten Australian farms if it reaches here. The virus is highly contagious and spreads quickly though flocks kept in high densities, but Clinical disease is associated with bird age and mainly affects young hens 3 – 6 weeks old so the pullet rearing sector of the industry is at risk. Chickens that are immunosuppressed by early IBD infections do not respond well to vaccination and are more susceptible to other diseases. Strict biosecurity needs to be practiced, including not allowing anyone on farm who has recently visited New Zealand.

Fine for not stamping eggs

Consumers are being put at risk by some egg producers who ignore regulations covering food safety, labelling and egg stamping. Many still do not stamp their eggs, and even more mislabel cartons. Most get away with deceiving consumers because enforcement is almost non-existent. Occasionally there s a prosecution. The latest involves an egg producer in Western Victoria. A Heywood egg producer has been fined $2,500 for selling unstamped eggs at local south-west supermarkets and from a farm-gate stall. It is a legal requirement that egg producers only sell eggs that are individually marked with the producers’ unique identification code. Some producers take advantage of slack enforcement and loopholes in the regulations. Agriculture Victoria authorised officers detected unstamped eggs at multiple retailers and from the farm-gate stall between December 2018 and March 2019. A Department spokesperson said “With recent Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria, it is a reminder of the importance of food safety and the need to trace food products efficiently and effectively.”

Low stocking density is essential for sustainable land management

Drought is just one of the ongoing hazards faced by farmers. It affects farms of all types – poultry, sheep, cattle or any livestock. We chose to limit the problems we could face by not overstocking and allowing pasture to regenerate naturally. We run chickens for egg production as well as some sheep and we encourage others to set up their own freerange egg businesses. It works well as long as numbers are limited. We run about 1000 hens on our 80 hectare farm. The income pays all the bills and puts food on the table although there’s nothing left over for holidays or buying a new car every couple of years.

Egg prices set to rise because of drought

It will be a tough year for egg farmers with feed prices going through the roof as a result of drought conditions throughout Australia. Rising costs and falling sales are likely to send some big producers broke as they rely on sales to supermarkets who set their own benchmark prices to maximise returns for their businesses. Genuine free range farmers with low stocking densities should fare better as they usually sell direct to customers and set their own prices.Also, hens able to range freely obtain around half their feed from the paddocks where they roam.

Double yolk eggs

About 20% of the eggs laid by our hens are extra large – and they mostly have double yolks. Double yolk eggs are single eggs that happen to have two yolks in them. They often occur with pullets when a hen releases one yolk soon after another, and both are in the same egg. But older hens can also produce double yolkers.   Chicks are born with about 4,000 ovum (the yolks), and they don’t produce any extra during their lives. So, the total amount of eggs a hen can lay is set from the start. Some producers use extra lighting to get hens to lay more eggs – but that doesn’t increase the total volume – it simply brings forward the rate of lay, causing each hen to age more rapidly.

Egg trading can spread salmonella

The Victorian Department of Agriculture warns that a truck from a farm in NSW contaminated with Salmonella enteriditis may be about to enter Victoria to pick up eggs, This is exactly how contamination spreads, The department warns farms not to allow the truck on site.

Fines for mislabeling eggs are just a cost of doing business for dodgy producers

The scale of profits made by industrial egg producers labeling their eggs as free range has been highlighted in Western Australia. The false labeling adds millions of dollars each year to the profits of unscrupulous businesses Speaking in parliament, Nationals agriculture spokesman Colin de Grussa said WA egg producers were concerned at dodgy practices, allowing one operator to undercut competitors with prices that could not be matched by legitimate egg producers. Mr de Grassa said there was an industry estimate, that CF Farms free-range facility could produce 98,000 dozen eggs per week, yet it sells 150,000 dozen free-range eggs He said the business, previously trading as Snowdale Holdings, was fined a record $750,000 and ordered to pay $300,000 costs in 2017 after the ACCC took the company to the Federal Court for falsely labeling about five million cartons of eggs as free range. Fines for deceptive conduct and breaches of consumer law are regarded simply as a cost of doing business.

Family farming is the sustainable future for agriculture

In the short term, there may be a need for intensive agricultural production systems because of the incessant demand to stock supermarket shelves. But the unwieldy monocultures created by this processes are doomed in the long term and there will almost certainly be a resurgence in small-scale family farming with niche markets producing food for consumers who care about the food they eat and environmental sustainability. Establishing more genuine free range egg farms around the world will be a key part of the growth in clean food and a sustainable future for everyone on the planet.

Ensure pullets are properly vaccinated

When selecting pullets for a farm, it’s important to ensure they have been vaccinated against the common diseases they may encounter. Hens on genuine free range farms with small flocks sizes and low stocking densities are likely to have fewer health problems than intensive businesses running many thousands of birds, but an occasional infection may arise. When a chicken has a runny nose or conjunctivitis, you might guess that it has a respiratory illness. But which one? Avian influenza is one of the big fears - but that’s unlikely on a well managed farm. Several common chicken diseases — including coryza, infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis — have similar symptoms, making them hard to tell apart. The treatment for each disease is different, so getting a laboratory diagnosis is essential, Coryza causes conjunctivitis, coughing and a major drop in egg production. Infectious bronchitis often affects the kidneys and reproductive system as well as the upper respiratory system. It can spread quickly, especially when hens are confined in sheds, it affects egg production but seldom kills many birds. In addition to the common respiratory symptoms, it can cause rough eggshells and uneven colouration of brown eggs. If the chickens are infected when they’re very young, the disease can destroy their oviducts.

Regenerative farming is the only environmentally sustainable food production system

Regenerative agriculture has emerged as an effective way to produce food while minimising environmental damage Sustainable is not good enough because Industrial farms have adopted the term and destroyed soil health and productivity – just like the industrial scale egg producers who pretend they are offering free range eggs. Clearly Regenerative agriculture can’t be done on a large scale, effective long term production requires large numbers of small producers able to carefully manage their inputs and outputs. Check out regenerative farming principles on our website: freeranger.com.au

Freerange egg farms are environmentally sustainable

Data from the science agency CSIRO shows 76 per cent of people think egg farming has a lower impact on the environment than other industries, up from 66 per cent last year. There is a balance between animal welfare and environmental concerns, in an interview with Australian Associated Press, Australia Eggs managing director Rowan McMonnies said most important issues involved trade-offs. But his claims about free range farms are misleading. He said “Free range farming uses more land. There's no doubt. In terms of the cooling of sheds it's harder because they're not sealed so use a bit more energy. "There's less feed efficiency because the hens are out and about." However, on genuine free range farms, sheds use far less energy because they are not mechanically cooled. And feed efficiency is generally higher because the hens obtain a significant part of their diet from the paddocks on which they graze.Mr McMonnies' comments are probably right if they relate only to the intensive production systems which Australian Eggs pretends are free range.

New flock 95% lay rate

Our latest flock of Isa Browns is performing well with a 95% lay rate. It's allowing us to keep up with orders from regular customers. So far the pasture is holding up and providing good feed.

New law in WA will trash Australia's slack national standard for freerange eggs.

The long awaited Free Range Eggs Labelling Bill in Western Australia may become law on Tuesday (Oct 15) when it hits the WA Legislative Council. If it is passed into law, it will effectively trash the national “free range’ standard adopted by politicians under pressure from corporate producers and supermarket giants. The purpose of the Bill is:" to define and regulate the labelling and sale of free range eggs to ensure that only eggs produced in free range conditions can be labelled free range eggs in Western Australia." Key elements include regular access to an outdoor range area and a maximum stocking density of 1500 hens per ha. The Government of the Australian Capital Territory has already mandated that free range stocking density must be no more than 1500 hens per hectare instead of the 10,000 allowed under the national standard.

disappointing to cancel webinars on free range farming

It was disappointing that we were unable to run our webinar on setting up free range farms yesterday (World Egg Day). The funds needed to prepare graphics and other elements of the presentation simply were not available as our crowdfunding appeal didn't work. It would cost $10,000 to prepare a series of webinars to professional standards and on our own, we didn't have the resources to finance the program.

No lights in our sheds

As the weather warms up, our hens are heading into maximum production. We do not use lights in our sheds to force the hens to continue laying during the shorter daylight hours of winter. Unlike virtually all other egg producers, we prefer to allow the normal rythms of life and allow the hens to rest and recover from the stress of laying the maximum number of eggs they achieve during the year. Rather than force maximum production, we let egg laying naturally follow the seasons and deal with an egg shortage for a few weeks. It means we can’t supply all our regular customers during the time of shortage, but we have healthy, productive hens for the rest of the year.

Eggs help boost immunity

Eggs are a food which helps to boost the body’s immune system.yolks are a rich source of protein, which helps immune-related problems. Egg yolks also contain zinc and selenium, which are important minerals Some other food which help are cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts - all cruciferous vegetables, which have antioxidant vitamins that give an immune system boost, and also contain choline, a nutrient essential to a healthy diet. Choline keeps your cells functioning properly and also helps support a healthy gastrointestinal barrier, keeping bacteria safely confined in the gut. Cauliflower, in particular, is a beneficial food to eat when you’re sick because it’s also rich in antioxidants to help fight off infection.Research has shown that eggs are more nutritious from hens which have a diet of natural grains and free access to quality pasture compared with those confined to sheds or cages.

CSIRO low carb diet

CSIRO undertook major diet and lifestyle intervention studies last year and has releaszaed itsLow-Carb Diet to help Australians eat more healthily. Eggs are a vital part of the diet which it says is effective in promoting long-term weight loss and helps to improve blood glucose control and blood cholesterol ledvels.

Freeranger Eggs supports climate action

More than 4 million students and other people abandoned school and work on Friday to join mass protests calling for action against climate change before a UN summit.At least 300,000 attended rallies in Australia. From New York to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Kabul, Cape Town and London, protesters took to the streets, demanding their governments take urgent steps to tackle the climate crisis and prevent an environmental catastrophe. The Australian Medical Association has joined other health organisations around the world – including in the US and UK in recognising climate change as a health emergency. This follows the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which highlighted the importance of sustainable agriculture. Freeranger Eggs at Grantville is an example of sustainable farming. Freeranger Eggs is doing more than Governments to combat carbon emissions and climate change. The Freeranger Eggs farm management plan takes a three pillars approach to how the farm operates. Animal welfare is one pillar, but equally important are land sustainability and food safety. Growth is not a part of our philosophy. we need to encourage people to set up more farms, not upscale existing farms. We believe that will support more people working the land fairly and will ensure long-term food security. Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, some small businesses have been playing their part in addressing the problem. Freeranger Eggs has been getting on with mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. The farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, utilising solar power and mechanical processes and an effective waste reduction program. As a result, the 1200-chicken farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year. But it is better than carbon neutral, it is carbon positive. The average organic matter in soil tests was 4.1 per cent in 2004, in 2006 it was 6.0 per cent, and in 2009 it was 7.9 percent. Calculations based on 2-inch deep samples, show that over those five years the farm sequestered about 14 tons of CO2 per acre or four tonnes of carbon per acre on the grasslands. Further testing and calculations have not been carried out because there has been a total lack of interest in the results. The farm applies no chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides and this policy increases the biological life in the soil and increases the rate of carbon sequestration. Rotational grazing is practised on the pastures – taking advantage of photosynthesis to pull CO2 into the plants and then into the roots from where it transfers to the soil. In addition, every year at least another tonne of CO2 per acre continues to be sequestered by the regular regeneration of Kangaroo Apples (Solanum laciniatum) in the main paddocks. Native vegetation has been protected on approximately 100 acres of the property and regeneration there sequesters a further tonne of CO2 per acre. This brings a grand total of 1500 tonnes of CO2 sequestered on this property over five years – an average rate of 300 tonnes per year compared with the farm's carbon output of around 60 tonnes. On days of full sun the solar panels on the farm shed generate 13 - 17kW of electricity a day and as on average the farm consumes just 9kW a day it helps the bottom line. Loss of biological diversity in agriculture is a growing global problem. The lack of diversity created by monocultures and a dependence on costly agrochemicals, fertilisers and seeds, is resulting in the loss of genetic heritage in agriculture. The Freeranger farm is a true free range operation with small flocks of chickens in separate paddocks with mobile roost houses where eggs are laid. An eBook is available on setting up free range eggs farm s and we are developing a series of webinars. Crowd funding is being sought to prepare the webinars . Details on the freeranger eggs website. Www.freeranger.com.au Freeranger Eggs gained international recognition in 2012 as the Australian winner of the Energy Globe Award.

ACT Government goes it alone enforcing proper free range egg labelling

The Government of the Australian Capital Territory has introduced laws forcing Canberra supermarkets to display signs on shelves outlining the density of free-range eggs and requires a maximum outdoor stocking density of 1500 hens per hectare. This conflicts with Federal Government regulations allowing a stocking density of 10,000 hens a hectare. This move could confuse consumers unless Federal politicians fix the mistake they made in caving in to pressure from corporate egg producers.Maybe the establishment of a Federal corruption Commission could help to solve the problem.

Sustainable farming combats climate change

The Australian Medical Association has joined other health organisations around the world – including in the US and UK in recognising climate change as a health emergency. This follows the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which highlighted the importance of sustainable agriculture. Freeranger Eggs at Grantville is an example of sustainable farming. Freeranger Eggs is doing more than Governments to combat carbon emissions and climate change. The Freeranger Eggs farm management plan takes a three pillars approach to how the farm operates. Animal welfare is one pillar, but equally important are land sustainability and food safety. Growth is not a part of our philosophy. we need to encourage people to set up more farms, not upscale existing farms. We believe that will support more people working the land fairly and will ensure long-term food security. Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, some small businesses have been playing their part in addressing the problem. Freeranger Eggs has been getting on with mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. The farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, utilising solar power and mechanical processes and an effective waste reduction program. As a result, the 1200-chicken farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year. But it is better than carbon neutral, it is carbon positive. The average organic matter in soil tests was 4.1 per cent in 2004, in 2006 it was 6.0 per cent, and in 2009 it was 7.9 percent. Calculations based on 2-inch deep samples, show that over those five years the farm sequestered about 14 tons of CO2 per acre or four tonnes of carbon per acre on the grasslands. Further testing and calculations have not been carried because there has been a total lack of interest in the results. The farm applies no chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides and this policy increases the biological life in the soil and increases the rate of carbon sequestration. Rotational grazing is practised on the pastures – taking advantage of photosynthesis to pull CO2 into the plants and then into the roots from where it transfers to the soil. In addition, every year at least another tonne of CO2 per acre continues to be sequestered by the regular regeneration of Kangaroo Apples (Solanum laciniatum) in the main paddocks. Native vegetation has been protected on approximately 100 acres of the property and regeneration there sequesters a further tonne of CO2 per acre. This brings a grand total of 1500 tonnes of CO2 sequestered on this property over five years – an average rate of 300 tonnes per year compared with the farm's carbon output of around 60 tonnes. On days of full sun the solar panels on the farm shed generate 13 - 17kW of electricity a day and as on average the farm consumes just 9kW a day it helps the bottom line. Loss of biological diversity in agriculture is a growing global problem. The lack of diversity created by monocultures and a dependence on costly agrochemicals, fertilisers and seeds, is resulting in the loss of genetic heritage in agriculture. The Freeranger farm is a true free range operation with small flocks of chickens in separate paddocks with mobile roost houses where eggs are laid. An eBook is available on setting up free range eggs farms.Details on the freeranger eggs website. Www.freeranger.com.au Freeranger Eggs gained international recognition in 2012 as the Australian winner of the Energy Globe Award.

More genuine free range farms needed

Chaos in the egg industry is creating wide consumer interest in finding genuine free range eggs and driving shoppers out of supermarkets. Demand for free range eggs has far exceeded supply, leading to widespread mislabelling and deception by some producers. Egg producers in Western Australia are concerned about current prices paid to them by big retailers. They says that cheap cage-free eggs being sold by Coles are 'unrealistic' and unfair. Coles stopped selling caged eggs in Western Australia in March and have said there will be a nationwide phase-out of caged eggs by 2023. Home-brand barn laid eggs are on shelves for $3 per dozen, which Commercial Egg Producers Association of WA president Ian Wilson said did not meet the cost of production. Clear consumer demand for free range eggs has generated a strong increase in the number of people thinking about starting their own free range egg business. A good starting point is reading the eBook on starting a free range farm available on the Freeranger Eggs website Detailed information is available on the Freeranger Club downloads page about things like shed requirements, food safety, egg packaging and labelling. When deciding to set up a free range egg farm, take the time to plan it properly. Find out the zoning of the land and talk to your local Council planning department about their requirements. It’s also worth contacting the State Department of Agriculture. You can find on-line resources in most states. In Victoria, contact: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farm-management/business-management/permits/guidelines-for-rural-planning-applications. Once that is sorted, talk to your Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have before you get underway. Details: www.freeranger.com.au

FSANZ should be scrapped

A spate of recent food recalls of eggs and milk as a result of potential contamination illustrates the failure of Food Standards Australia New Zealand to maintain food safety in this country. The poor performance of FSANZ in protecting consumers from dangerous food practices should result in cost savings when the organisation is disbanded. Politicians and bureaucrats could then start again and design a programme to actually meet food safety requirements. But, that won’t happen. At best, bureaucrats will cobble together a bunch more rules and regulations to add to the melange already created. As with all Government programmes, ad hoc regulations are imposed once failures have been recognised, there are seldom moves to review and redraft the programmes.

Techniques for boosting business in the UK could be adopted here

The UK government has implemented a major funding programme to support the improved performance of industries – including farms. Some egg farms in the North of England have jumped on board because they can see how it can benefit their businesses.Made Smarter is an investment between government and industry which includes match funding opportunities and the provision of dedicated technical and business support for SMEs adopting digital technology, to support advanced manufacturing. The initiative is the result of the Made Smarter Commission - a partnership between the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the private sector. Bell Mount Farming, based in Penrith, and Eggbase, based in Sedburgh, are among 11 businesses in the North West of England which are set to introduce advanced manufacturing methods. They want to adopt data and analytical technology to boost egg production by ensuring the conditions are optimal for free range hens. It would be a welcome change if our government acted to assist businesses.

Dodgy eggs sold throughout Victoria

A growing number of egg sellers have no idea about food safety requirements designed to protect consumers. Tens of thousands (or perhaps hundreds of thousands) of eggs are sold each week by people who meet no regulations or standards. In Victoria, the Department of Agriculture has clear requirements for egg producers, including the preparation of a Food Safety Management Statement for each property.But many sellers ignore the requirements. The Departments says:”It is preferable that eggs with minor marks are dry cleaned rather than washed”. But if eggs are washed, there should be good temperature control and an approved sanitizer must be used. But the requirements are often ignored as there is currently no inspection process to verify compliance with standards following the State Government decision to remove registration and inspection requirements by Shire Councils.

Freeranger Eggs showing the way on climate change

The latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has highlighted the importance of sustainable agriculture. Freeranger Eggs at Grantville is an example of sustainable farming. At Freeranger Eggs, we are doing more than Governments to combat carbon emissions and climate change. Our farm management plan takes a three pillars approach to how the farm operates. Animal welfare is one pillar, but equally important are land sustainability and food safety. Growth is not a part of our philosophy. we need to encourage people to set up more farms, not upscale existing farms. We believe that will support more people working the land fairly and will ensure long-term food security. Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, some small businesses have been playing their part in addressing the problem. Freeranger Eggs has been getting on with mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. The farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, utilising solar power and mechanical processes and an effective waste reduction programme. As a result, the 1200-chicken farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year. But it is better than carbon neutral, it is carbon positive. The average organic matter in soil tests was 4.1 per cent in 2004, in 2006 it was 6.0 per cent, and in 2009 it was 7.9 percent. Calculations based on 2-inch deep samples, show that over those five years the farm sequestered about 14 tons of CO2 per acre or four tonnes of carbon per acre on the grasslands. Further testing and calculations have not been carried because there has been a total lack of interest in the results. The farm applies no chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides and this policy increases the biological life in the soil and increases the rate of carbon sequestration. Rotational grazing is practised on the pastures – taking advantage of photosynthesis to pull CO2 into the plants and then into the roots from where it transfers to the soil. In addition, every year at least another tonne of CO2 per acre continues to be sequestered by the regular regeneration of Kangaroo Apples (Solanum laciniatum) in the main paddocks. Native vegetation has been protected on approximately 100 acres of the property and regeneration there sequesters a further tonne of CO2 per acre. This brings a grand total of 1500 tonnes of CO2 sequestered on this property over five years – an average rate of 300 tonnes per year compared with the farm's carbon output of around 60 tonnes. On days of full sun the solar panels on the farm shed generate 13 - 17kW of electricity a day and as on average the farm consumes just 9kW a day it helps the bottom line. Loss of biological diversity in agriculture is a growing global problem. The lack of diversity created by monocultures and a dependence on costly agrochemicals, fertilisers and seeds, is resulting in the loss of genetic heritage in agriculture. The Freeranger farm is a true free range operation with small flocks of chickens in separate paddocks with mobile roost houses where eggs are laid. An eBook is available on setting up free range eggs farm s and we are developing a series of webinars. Crowd funding is being sought to prepare the webinars . Details on the freeranger eggs website. Www.freeranger.com.au Freeranger Eggs gained international recognition in 2012 as the Australian winner of the Energy Globe Award.

Egg substitution rife in Australia

It has been officially established by enquiries into recent salmonella outbreaks that it is common practice in the industry for eggs to be acquired from a variety of sources and packaged with a single label for distribution to supermarkets. The NSW Department of Primary Industries has revealed something that the industry has known about for years. The introduction of egg stamping was supposed to ensure the traceability of eggs back the property on which they were laid. But  after lobbying by big producers and supermarkets, politicians changed the requirement for on-farm stamping and now allow stamps to be applied at the time eggs are packaged by major grading floors. The ACCC  has a wide range of information following successful prosecutions in the Federal Court. There is no doubt that egg substitution has been rife for decades. Major sellers package eggs from wherever they can get them and sell through supermarkets. The producers justify this by saying that they are required to meet the supply demands from major retailers.  If they don’t send enough eggs each week, the producers risk losing their contracts.  That’s why no genuine free range eggs can be found in supermarkets – they simply don’t have enough volume to meet supermarket demands. The ACCC tried to solve the problems and a series of Federal Court decisions on free range production highlighted the issues to such an extent that politicians stepped in to protect producers from prosecution. The egg labelling standard they introduced endorsed deception by the industry. The WA Government is looking at tightening regulations there in an effort of protect consumers – but no other States appear to be interested. The recent Salmonella scare demonstrated the problem of traceability when producers package eggs from many places across the country without revealing the source.

Salmonella Enteritidis workshops for egg farmers - identifying the risks

A biosecurity training session for Victorian egg farmers will be held at Attwood, Melbourne on August 8. the training will focus on the recent Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) outbreak and will be run by Dr Yoni Segal, the principal veterinary officer for poultry. The NSW Dept of Primary Industries, Biosecurity and Food safety says there are theories about how SE came onto farms and a paper is expected to be written on the subject. It says farm biosecurity is critical. Sunlight kills the SE bacteria, so properly run free range farms with low stocking densities have little risk of suffering the problems encountered by industrial production systems.A biosecurity manual is available from Australian Eggs, or from the Freeranger Club page on the Freeranger Eggs website. Australian Eggs is also holding an SE workshop at Attwood, on August 27 so they are taking the issue seriously.

New egg carton supplier

We have found a new supplier of egg cartons, relatively close to the farm. Anne picked up 1500 plain cartons in Dandenong on her way to visit friends in the City. Our previous supplier had closed down in Clayton, so we thought we may have to truck cartons from Preston, Footscray or Laverton. Although cartons are a modest cost compared with all the others such as feed and compliance costs imposed by red tape, it is significant to be able to collect our cartons as we need them.

Quality eggs and size are all about nutrition and management

We are frequently asked why our eggs are so large as well as being tasty. The answer is simple, all hens start egg production laying Small eggs – around 40g or so and gradually increase to a mature egg grade size of Medium (60g) Large (80g) or bigger. They generally begin to lay 15 – 17 weeks after hatching With modern breeds, such as Isa Browns, most hens lay Large or Extra Large eggs by the time they are 40 weeks old. While there is a basic pattern of how egg size changes as hens age, feeding and management have a major impact on egg size. Management factors in controlling egg size include hen body weight. Larger eggs tend to be laid by larger hens weighing about 2 kg. Total access to quality pasture and a balanced ration of natural grains with a protein content of at least 17.5% will ensure good hen health, egg quality and size.

Victorian Government workshops to help streamline planning process for poultry and pig farms

Agriculture Victoria is hosting a series of free workshops to help new and existing small-scale pig and poultry producers prepare a land use planning permit application. participants will be eligible for the supporting grants program of up to $3,000 for expenses related to on-farm works, consultancy, or training that supports the preparation of a land use planning permit application. For details contact Ann McDowell annmcdowell@agriculturevic.gov.au

Starting freerange egg farm webinars cancelled

Unfortunately the series of webinars on starting free range egg farms has been cancelled. The first was scheduled for World Egg Day this year - October 10, but has been halted by the failure of a crowd funding campaign. It was hoped to raise $8000 to prepare the webinars to a professional standard with effective graphics and video content. It was planned to develop webinars suitable for a range of climatic conditions and regions to encourage the establishment of small scale poultry farms across the globe.

Australia's food standards need to improve

Australia’s food safety standards are being questioned. World Food Safety Day was held on June 7 and the Food Safety Information Council released a report card detailing Australia’s food safety record. There are an estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year, which translates into about 16 out of every 100 people The 4.1 million cases result in an average of 31,920 hospitalizations, 86 deaths and 1 million visits to doctors. Recent recalls of milk and eggs from supermarkets has added to consumer problems. There is a clear need for an overhaul at Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Food safety risks increased by intensive production

Current egg farm problems in Australia and some other parts of the world are a direct result of adopting intensive production methods. An article in the UK Smallholder magazine in June 1934 acknowledged that “mass production is not only here to stay, but it would be adopted more and more; much of the troubles of the industry were due directly to mass production. "To make a success of mass production permanently, it follows that a revision of methods will be necessary. In the hands of careless or unscrupulous men it is a menace but in the hands of the careful and honest it will be the only means of making a good profit.” In Australia,recent serious food safety incidents involving egg recalls have demonstrated that the careless and unscrupulous have been hard at work counting their money.

Salmonella contamination 'stabilised'

The Managing Director of Australian Eggs, Rowan McMonnies, says Government authorities and the egg industry have stabilised potential food poisoning issues from contamination by Salmonella Enteritidis. He has said that the emergence of SE in Australia was caught early and all contaminated sites were limited to a cluster of ‘interconnected farms.’ Farm management practices are the focus of on-going investigations.

new egg labelling and stamping requirements in Western Australia may spread to the rest of the country

Western Australia seems to be moving towards introducing effective labelling and stamping requirements for eggs. WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan described the system of labelling of eggs and traceability as a ‘joke’. She said “WA is the only State that doesn’t have a proper egg traceability system, there is no regulation and we need to modernise that and introduce more discipline.” Commercial Egg Producers Association of WA president Ian Wilson said an industry-led committee would work with the State Government to deliver tighter standards and procedures. He said while most eggs were stamped on farms before sale and it accurately reflected where they were laid, a weakness in the system meant the eggs could be bought from elsewhere and stamped as though produced on that farm. Mr Wilson said better traceability standards, identifying the origin, flock and system, would also help in situations such as the recent Eastern States recalls for salmonella. Unfortunately egg stamping in the eastern states does not provide adequate traceability, because exemptions mean that many eggs are not stamped on farm.

Email problems with Live Mail and Thunderbird

WE are having problems with our farm emails - we receive them OK, but we can't reply or send new nessages. We were using Windows Live Mail but when that started playing up we were advised that as microsoft no longer supported live mail, we needed a new email programme. So I downloaded Mozilla Thunderbird. But that hasn't helped - we still can't send emails on our farm account.It doesn't recognise the password with our ISP's outgoing server so the connection fails. Thank goodness we also have gmail and Facebook which allow us to keep in touch.

UN 'wake up' call on climate change - our webinars will help

The latest United Nations report on the implications of climate change for all life on earth is a serious ‘wake-up’ call for everyone to do their bit in the drive to halt pollution and global warming.Species extinctions are a huge threat. The impacts of industrial agriculture on the environment, public health, and rural communities make it an unsustainable way to grow our food over the long term. Scientists recognise that better science-based methods are available. At Freeranger Eggs, we believe the report validates the importance of our our proposed webinars to encourage the establishment of more freerange farms. Everyone can help to establish more genuine, small scale free range egg farms by supporting a programme of webinars demonstrating all the processes involved. The webinars will encourage hundreds more farms to be established.An eBook on starting a free range farm is also available through the Freeranger website. There isn't much time to reach the crowd funding target Of $8000 as the first webinar is scheduled for World ERgg Day, October 11. The webinars will be free and all participants will receive a copy of our eBook.The Crowd Funding appeal is at:https://www.gofundme.com/2tar52c

SEO conmen

Anyone with a website is probably fed up with a barrage of emails from people claiming to be SEO experts(Search Engine Optimisation). We get at least four or five every week. One of the latest ones claimed they could get our site http://www.freeranger.com.au onto the first page of Google. They also said we should Canonicalize our IP address. I contacted our site host, Weebly, who said that was rubbish. The junk mailbox is pretty full!

Starting Your own free range farm

Clear consumer demand for genuine free range eggs has generated a strong increase in the number of people thinking about starting their own free range egg business. A good starting point is reading the eBook on starting a free range farm available on the Freeranger Eggs website: www.freeranger.com.au . Detailed information is available on the Freeranger Club downloads page about things like shed requirements, food safety, egg packaging and labelling. When you decide to set up a free range egg farm, take the time to plan it properly. Find out the zoning of the land and talk to your local Council planning department about their requirements. It’s also worth contacting the State Department of Agriculture. You can find on-line resources in most states. In Victoria, contact: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farm-management/business-management/permits/guidelines-for-rural-planning-applications. Once that is sorted, talk to your Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have before you get underway. We are planning to hold webinars to spread the word about freerange farming.

Eggs safe from salmonella enteritidis contamination

The Food and Agriculture Organisation has tracked the risks of food poisoning from Salmonella enteritidis in eggs.The lowest risk of illness is predicted when prevelence in a flock is 5% and storage times and temperatures are reduced. In this scenario, the calculated risk is 2 illnesses in 10 million servings. The highest risk is predicted when salmonella prevalence in a flock is 50% and storage times and temperatures are elevated. The findings show that consumers have little risk of illness if flock health is good, the hens are in clean conditions,eggs are stored at correct temperatures and consumed soon after being laid.

No lights in our laying sheds

Our flocks of Isa Brown hens lead a natural lifestyle – as close as possible to the way of life of their ancestors - jungle fowl. Each flock size is less than 300 birds and every hens has unrestricted access to paddocks with pasture, shrubs and trees. This provides an ideal environment for foraging. The hens are never locked in sheds – not even at night. They are protected from predators by Maremma guardian dogs. Roost houses with nest boxes are provided for each flock with only natural light in the sheds. Most egg producers maximise egg numbers by installing artificial lights in sheds to trick the birds into maintaining their lay rate at times they should be moulting and resting. We prefer to let our hens follow their natural life rythms which means they stop laying once daylight hours are reduced.

Farmers and salmonella victims may consider legal action

Farmers and victims of salmonella contamination in eggs may follow the example of Dutch egg farmers in taking legal action for their losses. Some 124 poultry farmers and a farming lobby group are taking the Dutch state to court following the 2017 contaminated egg scandal, which led to millions of eggs and 3.5 million chickens being destroyed. The poultry farmers say the government’s food and product safety board was negligent in dealing with the 2017 fipronil crisis which resulted in hundreds of poultry farms being closed. The salmonella scare here is not as widespread, but it appears to have resulted from the direct actions of politicians in approving a dangerously high stocking density on free range farms, and inaction by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and other regulatory bodies in not preventing the standard.

Electric egg delivery van

Freeranger Eggs plans to be the first free range farm to use an electric delivery van. The move will enhance our environmentally sustainable business, Ace Electric vehicles is building its cargo van in Brisbane and Tesla is expected to introduce a small van soon. We currently use a Holden Combo for deliveries and it will be great to use an Australian-built vehicle to reduce our environmental footprint even further.The Cargo has a 500kg carrying capacity with a range of 150 -200kms on a charge.

Food poisoning from dodgy "freerange' eggs

A spike in food poisoning as a result of salmonella in eggs is hardly surprising given the intensive stocking densities approved for free range egg production in Australia. So far, politicians and bureaucrats have ignored implications for food safety. Animal health and land sustainability from such high densities. A laying hen produces half a cubic metre of manure a year. So with a stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare farmers who follow the advice will see their land covered with 5000 cubic metres of manure per hectare every year. As chicken manure has high levels of nitrogen, 1.5%,phosphorus,0.5% and potassium 0.8%, it will likely render the land useless for farming within a few years. Contamination of groundwater and water courses is also likely. But the implications for consumers are also serious with a range of pathogens to which the laying hens are exposed by reckless high density production. Dangerous pathogens include Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter.

Australian Eggs holds crisis meetings over salmonella

Australian Eggs is desperately trying to restore some consumer confidence in the Egg industry after food poisoning issues from eggs contaminated with salmonella. In an email to members, Australian Eggs says “It is critically important that everyone is aware of the risks and takes the necessary precautions to protect their business and the industry's reputation. In addition to supporting the industry with resources, Australian Eggs is engaging with authorities to ensure any incident response is coordinated and has the benefit of industry input. Australian Eggs has coordinated a meeting next week between egg industry representative bodies and health and agriculture authorities in each state to ensure a productive engagement process can be developed." It’s a pity Australian Eggs allowed this problem to occur by conning politicians into approving a dangerous outdoor stocking density for laying hens. The previous code of practice limited stocking density on free range farms to 1500 hens per hectare but in a profit chase the industry demanded approval for 10,000 hens per hectare – a dangerous and unsustainable figure.

Egg industry agrees that high poultry stocking densities pose huge food poisoning risk for consumers

Major egg farmers in Australia recognise that the high outdoor 'freerange' stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare approved by politicians puts consumers at risk as well as threatening the health of hens. Victorian Farmers Federation egg group president Brian Ahmed  agrees with us that intensive farms should not be described as free range. He used the salmonella scare in Victoria which resulted in a national recall as the basis for saying “Free-range sounds good but it was never meant to be a mass-produced farming system. It was only ever meant to be on a small-scale level.” Mr Ahmed also said he was not surprised that there was an outbreak in the industry.“ We knew this was going to happen, it was a matter of when not if, because the more chickens we put on the ground and the more we run free-range, the higher the risk." At Freeranger Eggs we have always argued that free range is a niche market and requires low stocking densities. John O’Hara, managing Director of Sunny Queen - one of this county’s largest egg producers is on record saying that the maximum allowable outdoor stocking density for free range egg production should be 1500 hens per hectare. Mr O'Hara is a former board member of the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd.(now Australian Eggs).

Salmonella contamination caught some producers by surprise

The recent outbreak of salmonella enteritidis on a farm in Victoria, caught egg producers by surprise. This particular version of the food poisoning bacteria has not been endemic in Australia - until now. Other forms of salmonella contamination are a result of poor egg handling procedures.There are several ways that hens in laying flocks can be infected with Salmonella enteritidis. There is often a low level of infection at the start of the laying period which indicates that contamination from breeding stock is minor. It is not yet known how this contamination happened but laying flocks seem to become infected mainly from the farm environment including not properly cleaned and disinfected poultry houses and infected vermin present on the farm.Major egg producers operate as a grading floor and purchase eggs from many sources throughout Australia, so it can be hard to trace the origin of any contamination. Australian Eggs, the body which represents egg producers in the country is desperately trying to hose down food safety issues after the recent salmonella enteritidis scare. Managing Director Rowan McMonnies said, “We will continue to work with authorities to Avoid SE becoming endemic in Australia and protect our longstanding reputation as a producer of clean safe eggs.” The industry body is scrambling to resurrect the reputation of farmers after the damage caused by a string of intensive producers who labeled their eggs as free range and politicians protected them by approving an intensive 'free range' definition.

Farm back on line after NBN fiasco

The National Broadband Network fiasco keeps rolling on. Following three days of chaos after being connected to the NBN and VOIP, we are now back on line. We had to take our wireless router back to our ISP, DCSI in Warragul to be reconfigured - even though it was bought from them as NBN ready. Then we had to buy a wi fi USB adapter for the farm PC because the NBN unit was installed in a different room.It all seems to be sorted now - fingers crossed. With all the negative publicity about NBN we were not willing participants - but we were told that the old telephone and ADSL2 system would be cut off so we had no choice!

Full range of eggs available at the farm and outlets

A full range of eggs is available at the farm gate, and most sizes are stocked at our outlets, Macca's Farm, Glen Forbes, Grantville Pantry, Corinella Store, San Remo Butcher and Angels Health Foods Cowes.

Delayed response to fire emergency

The afterrmath of a bushfire is never pleasant but hopefully we will get some answers about the delay in responding to emergency calls for the Grantville fire, if an independent inquiry is conducted. Two police officers and three CFA incident controllers came to the farm today at the start of their investigation. The farm survived unscathed by the wildfire at Grantville on Friday. Anne rang 000 at 11.34 when she noticed a wisp of smoke in the bush at Glen Forbes. She was told that the fire had already been reported - so we assumed that fire crews would be on the scene within minutes. But no. Instead of dealing with a small scrub fire, it was allowed to rage unchecked while the local brigade tried to find a way to the fire even though they were fully aware that a fire track had been constructed for the purpose of accessing a fire within the Grantville Nature Conservation Reserve. The delayed action resulted in a major fire which required additional resources from other brigades, helicopters and water bombers. We expect a full investigation to determine the cause of the delayed response and changes to the system to prevent it happening again but there will probably be just q cursory review by a bureaucrat. More details and pictures are on the farm facebook page.

Hot weather has not affected the hens 90% lay rate

With today's hot weather, 36 degrees C on the farm, the hens still managed an excellent lay rate of over 90%. The flocks don't spend much time in the sheds - preferring to stay out in the pasture and in the shade of trees and shrubs like kangaroo apples. But the sheds are designed with cross-flow ventilation which keeps them cool.

Things which affect the quality of egg shells

Many factors affect the quality of an egg shell prior to the egg being laid. The thickness of the shell is determined by diet plus the amount of time it spends in the shell gland plus the rate of calcium deposition during shell formation. If the egg spends little time in the shell gland, the shell will be thin. Also, the earlier in the day the egg is laid, the thicker the shell will be. Diseases like infectious bronchitis (IB), Newcastle disease (ND), avian influenza (AI) and egg drop syndrome (EDS) affect the shell quality. IB virus causes soft/rough shelled eggs, discolouration and wrinkling of the shell. EDS virus affects only the shell gland but with ND or IB, every portion of the reproductive tract can be affected. Poor housing and high ambient temperatures can also affect shell quality. Full details are on the Freeranger Club downloads page of our website.

Extra large eggs for farm gate sales

Despite a healthy level of production, the hens are barely able to keep up with demand for our eggs. We have an extra young flock but major demand at Macca's Farm, Glen Forbes, the Grantville Pantry and our usual outlets, Corinella Store, Angels Health Foods, Cowes and the San Remo Butcher ensures that our eggs don't hang around. They are delivered within hours of being laid. Farm gate sales are important to us and we may restrict sales of our extra large Megga packs (950g) to the farm gate.

Bass Coast Shire bungles again

Bass Coast Shire must be the most incompetent council in Victoria. Surely none can be worse? Every year we have paid an exorbitant business registration fee to the shire. Last month they sent a notice saying that the shire no longer had any role with the registration of egg farms. “All businesses that sell eggs now fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources”. They advised to disregard the registration notice which had been sent and a refund would be arranged if payment had already been made. This morning we received a text from the Shire demanding payment of the business registration fee! Councils, State and Federal Governments all go out of their way to make life hard for small business.

Webinars on setting up a free range farm

Everyone can help to set up local small farms and secure sustainable farming, providing access to local food,while combating climate change Every community should be able to buy food from farmers in their area rather than rely on produce trucked from warehouses across the country Free range webinar participation The first webinar on setting up a free range farm is scheduled for World Egg Day, Friday October 11. A crowd funding appeal has been established to ensure a top quality presentation for participants. Anne and Phil Westwood at Freeranger Eggs are encouraging people to set up more free range farms to help meet strong consumer demand for genuine free range eggs. They are receiving local and overseas enquiries about the suitability for different climates of an eBook and webinars being developed for egg production. The answer is Yes, the information in the webinars and the eBook is applicable virtually anywhere. The only significant differences are in local regulations and climatic conditions. Clearly extreme weather will require special attention – as will potential predators. It’s rather different protecting chickens from wolves, Grizzly bears, lions or tigers compared with protecting them from foxes or Tasmanian Devils. A growing number of people realise that all eggs on supermarket shelves are from intensive production systems – no matter what the labels say. Details about the eBook and a crowd funding appeal for the webinars can be found on the Freeranger Eggs website. www.freeranger.com.au Please share the crowd funding appeal which is at: https://www.gofundme.com/2tar52c

We sell out every week

We are packing the last of today's eggs for our main delivery day tomorrow. As usual, there won't be an egg left on the farm after the delivery run to Phillip Island. We sell out every week even when the terrorists (tourists) stay home. Our eggs really are laid to order. At this time of year - no matter how many hens we have, there are never enough eggs to meet demand. Up to Christmas we were able to supply another farm with two boxes of eggs (30 dozen) a week to help him meet his orders, but since Christmas we not only don't have any spare eggs, the shops and restaurants are asking for more - which we can't supply. It's never easy meeting demand at this time of year.