Free range debate should be about much more than animal welfare

The free range egg debate has been hijacked by animal welfare activists – and academic researchers are putting all their efforts into demonstrating that low stocking densities don't necessarily produce better welfare outcomes. We believe that the focus should be on land sustainability. Intensive systems are more likely to lead to land degredation and pollution – limiting the life of any farming venture and the viability of the land. What seems to be ignored is that a fully grown hen produces about half a metre of manure a year – so 10,000 hens per hectare deposit 5000 cubic metres of manure on each hectare of land. The excessive nutrient load is likely to transform the farm into an unproductive wasteland. Unfortunately free range farmers were unable to agree on a cohesive approach and left the lobbying of politicians and bureaucrats to the industrial-scale egg producers, grocers and animal welfare groups. So free range farmers really only have themselves to blame for the current mess.

Egg stamping results in more honesty in the industry

The introduction of compulsory egg stamping is starting to bring the crooks out of the woodwork. At least one stallholder at markets accredited by the Victorian Farmers' Markets Association is now admitting  that some of the eggs he sells are bought from others. He has now chosen to reveal this on his Facebook page even though he has been re-selling eggs for years. At last he is being honest with his customers. The Victorian Farmers Markets' Association claims that re-sellers are banned from its accredited markets - but it has consistently turned a blind eye. The accreditation process needs to be balanced  and fair if the VFMA is to survive.
We also had a call yesterday from a 'backyarder' on Phillip Island asking if he could buy 20 dozen eggs. He said that he was going to on-sell them so he wanted them unstamped. I told him to go away!!

Open Day today

Well the day has finally arrived. Our Open Day at the Freeranger farm to show how a real free range farm operates. Low stocking densities, plenty of space for the hens, unlimited access to pasture, the hens are never locked up, only natural grains are fed with no meat meal or colouring additives etc. etc......

Hopefully we will be able to get the message across to consumers that there are plenty of eggs out there labelled as free range which don't meet expected standards or labelling requirements.

Free Range Farmers nonsense

It's often hard to understand where people are coming from. It seems that the faceless individuals currently running the Free Range Farmers Association don't like some of the things I have been saying.
Well tough!!
I have stated very openly that I and the farm operated with Anne are no longer members of FRFA because the committee refused to uphold the standards of the Association.
In press coverage I do not claim to represent FRFA or the national association. I tell journalists that I am the immediate Past President of the national body.
What more can I do? I can't help it if the reporters want to obtain factual information from me rather than mindless nonsense from the newly appointed FRFA President or Secretary.
There is nothing on the FRFA website to show members (or anyone else) who are on the committee. But from aggressive and negative letters which have been sent out, it seems that Dianne Moore is currently the President, and Jessica Luketic is the secreatary. WHY HAVEN'T MEMBERS BEEN INFORMED? 

Chicken challenge

From the WeeklyTimes:

PETA has written a letter to an egg producer offering to give charity up to $3400 if he confines himself to cage.The animal welfare group’s proposal has been made to egg producer Andrew Postregna who owns Tamarix Egg Farm in Dandenong South and states that PETA will donate $100 per hour to charity if Mr Postregna confines himself to a cage of similar proportions to his body, as the chickens' cages are to theirs for 34 hours, the time it takes a chicken to produce an egg.

PETA's Australia campaigns director Jason Baker said the group made the proposal to Mr Postregna after a statement he made on the Australian Egg Corporation Limited website.

Mr Baker said that Mr Postregna wrote on the website: "When there's a few birds in a cage they tend to know each other. They're happy. Their stress levels seem to be a lot less than what it is in free-range [chickens]".

Mr Baker said maybe after Mr Postregna gets a real feel for being caged, he'll stop claiming that caged hens are "happy".

Mr Postregna had not received any letter from PETA when the Weekly Times Now contacted him.

PETA's campaign co-ordinator Claire Fryer said the letter had been faxed and posted.

She said it was the first time PETA had made such a proposal. 

Plenty of eggs on the farm

Production is going well at present, with a laying rate running at just over 80% with our main flocks. The latest batch of pullets haven't started yet but the flock which is 23 weeks old is at about 60% production.

We are not looking forward to the next bout of hot weather although we have plenty of shade in the paddocks and heaps of ice in the freezer ready to put in the chooks' water.

Demand for eggs is still strong although (thankfully) the tourists have gone home now and we just have to cope with the standard bedlam which seems to rule our lives!


Here's some of our chooks with their Maremma, Ducati. As you can see from the sky, there aren't many clouds about so we are expecting unwelcome temperatures.

Free Range on Sunrise

The Sunrise breakfast TV show on Channel 7 ran a great segment on free range eggs on Saturday. For those who missed it have a look at :
http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/weekend-sunrise/-/31143150/

ABC 'AM' program talks about stocking densities

There was a good report today on ABC radio's AM program about the Egg Corporation's proposals and the results of a consumer survey by CHOICE.
Have a listen at:
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3514839.htm

RSPCA helps to keep pressure on AECL

The RSPCA has come out with strong opposition to the Egg Corporation's high density stocking plans even though it accepts beak trimming and a lift in stocking density from a maximum of 1500 hens per hectare to 2500.
The full story is in todays' Australian with a picture of a genuine free range farm and some comments by the owner, Vesna Luketic.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/rspca-steps-into-free-range-egg-row/story-e6frg6nf-1226356715868

More on Stressed hens from ABC Radio's The World Today

A new study has cast doubt over whether free-range hens are happier and more stress-free than their caged counterparts.
Research funded by the Australian Egg Corporation has looked at the stress hormone levels in eggs produced at a dozen farms.
But the Free Range industry group has criticised the study, saying it is part of a push to change the classification of free range.
Dr Jeff Downing, from the University of Sydney, tested eggs from different farms across New South Wales over 12 weeks.
"What I found is that there was no difference between the different production systems," he said.
"But the interesting thing is there is a great deal of variation between individual farms using any particular production system.
"So it indicates to me that the challenges and the environment the hens are in on a particular farm probably has more influence on the stress levels they experience, rather than the type of production system they are in."
Dr Downing says stress levels were elevated in several situations across all three types of farms.
"This hormone is triggered by neural triggers, so the hen is challenged and the neural triggers are things like fear, anxiety, pain, and they trigger this hormone. So as these challenges increase, then the levels of this hormone increase," he said.
He says his research makes it a little more complicated for consumers to pick eggs at the supermarket.
"As a consumer, and I go and select eggs based on the production system, I don't think that gives me any guarantee that those hens have experienced less stress than those in another production system," he said.
"It's really what's happening on the individual farm that's probably more influential on the stress levels that they experience."
'Poor measure'
However RSPCA scientific officer Melina Tensen says the method used to test whether hens were stressed is flawed.
"Corticosterone is a poor measure of animal welfare. It sort of goes up and down during the day and it really depends on all sorts of things in the bird's environment," she said.
"You could see corticosterone as a level of excitement, either positive or negative, and if it's positive excitement, obviously the bird could be having fun, and if it's negative excitement, then obviously the bird is stressed.
"The overwhelming research looking at the welfare of birds in cages suggests that the hens definitely suffer in a caged environment."
The Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia's president, Phil Westwood, has also cast doubts on the study.
He says the so-called free-range farms visited in Dr Downing's study were in fact not a true classification of free range.
"I don't disagree that probably the farm management has more importance than the actual production type; a well-managed farm is likely to have lower stress levels in the chooks," he said.
"But what this research doesn't show is that almost certainly the free range farms that were selected to take part in this study were actually intensive farms, so they wouldn't be farms that most consumers would regard as actually free range.
"They're running birds of maybe 20,000-30,000 birds per hectare. That is not a free range farm.
Mr Westwood says a free-range farm that meets the model code requirement has 1,500 birds per hectare.
"That allows the birds to display their normal behaviour practices. They can do the things that a chook normally does and they're not de-beaked or beak trimmed," he said.
Mr Westwood says the Egg Corporation is trying to change standards to allow 20,000 birds per hectare to be classified as free range.
Nobody from the Egg Corporation was available to talk to The World Today, however, a spokesman said the research is solid and it is unfortunate some are trying to politicise it.
A University of Sydney statement confirms Dr Downing's research received funding from the Australian Egg Corporation.
But it says he carried out his research independently and the report was reviewed by independent, external referees.

Eggs are one of the healthy foods

Eggs have received a bad reputation over the years. Every now and then they are declared to be a healthy, wholesome food and then they are blamed for raising cholesterol. Now, eggs are once again in vogue - which demonstrates that 'expert' advice depends on which 'expert' you listen to.

It's clear that eggs are not eggs. Free Range Eggs are not just any eggs. Free range eggs are enjoying greater attention now because customers realise that farmers like us, who raise the hens in the traditional way, allowing them to roam over pasture without confining them in sheds or cutting off their beaks so they can't forage properly, are producing food which meets their nutritional and ethical requirements.

There is now a heap of evidence about the health benefits of eating real free range eggs compared with the cage counterparts or eggs from the equivalent intensive 'free range' systems. As a result some factory farm operators, supported  by their industry bully (sorry body) are doing everything they can to close us all down.

Unfortunately there is also some mis-information out there suggesting that yolk colour is the only guide for genuine free range eggs. Some say: 'crack a free range egg in one bowl and a normal farm factory egg in another. Compare the appearances of the eggs to one another. The yolk of the free range egg is a deep vibrant yellow-orange colour whereas the factory egg is a wimpy yellow colour.'

It would be great if it was that simple. However it's all too easy to manipulate yolk colour. Chemical companies make  large profits from selling colouring additives to egg producers to ensure 'a deep vibrant yellow-orange colour' in the yolk. Probably all the cage and barn laid eggs produced in Australia are laid by hens which are fed colouring additives.

In the natural environment, the colour differentiation is due to the high beta carotene content in the free range yolk – over six times more than factory eggs, unless the feed includes colouring. Natural beta carotene, also known as vitamin A, is just one of many benefits free range eggs offer consumers. However, yolk colour should vary, depending on what the birds eat. If your egg yolks are always the same you are eating additives.

Vitamin D and E Benefits and More

The USDA has measured the nutrients in free range eggs and has found that the vitamin D levels were as much as six times higher than the average in factory eggs! Eggs are one of the few natural ways to obtain vitamin D through food sources. The vitamin E levels were almost four times the average of factory eggs. Vitamin D and vitamin E are both essential nutrients for optimal brain, heart, skin and immune system operation.

There are other benefits of free range eggs too. For instance, they have 33% less cholesterol than their factory farm egg counterparts. In addition, there is 25% less saturated fat and two times the average omega three fatty acids. Just eating two free ranges eggs could virtually satisfy the minimum daily requirements for vitamin D.

Another myth is that the viscosity of the egg white is always an indication of the freshness of an egg. It's true that a runny white is often an indication of staleness - but that's not always the case. Diet can have an impact on the albumen and so can the age of the hen.  As hens get older, the eggs whites can become more runny even when they have just been laid , which is one reason most farms get rid of their hens at the end of the first laying deason.

Why Free Range Eggs are Best

Free range chickens are allowed to roam freely eating insects and grass throughout the day.  They are constantly exposed to daily sunshine and fresh air.

When chickens are allowed to roam freely, their eggs are more nutritious because they are allowed to eat food with nutritional value like the green grass and bugs. This produces omega 3 rich eggs, plenty of vitamins and less cholesterol and saturated fat. The great news is that free range eggs have no more calories than the average factory farm egg but do have three or more times the nutritional value.

Factory farm hens do not have a varied diet. They can only eat what is provide in the farm's automatied system - the same day in and day out.

Quiet hens roaming on pasture

Early morning with the chooks  -  and Angus


There's plenty of grass around this year. We've had a tremendous season so far and the chooks have maintained around a 90% lay rate for most of the summer.
Right now, with the latest batch of pullets we have 1200 hens on the farm - so that's keeping us pretty busy.

Who said chooks can't fly?

Here's Myrtle, hurtling through the air looking for a soft landing in the grass!!!  She can fly at least 100 metres in level flight and around 20 metres vertically.

Most very young hens (pullets) can fly well because of their low body weight and they frequently fly up into trees (at least they do here). But this is a mature bird who loves to fly.

She not quite able to soar with the eagles, but she wouldn't stand for the sort of nonsense on Mrs Tweedy's farm in the film Chickenrun.

Maybe we should enter her in a competition adjudicated by the Guiness Book of Records.

Performance Review of the Australian Egg Corporation

A performance review of the Australian Egg Corporation is currently underway as part of the requirements of the Statutory Funding Agreement (SFA) between AECL and the Australian Government. An independent performance review must be undertaken of AECL's strategies, plans, governance, investments, programs and consultation since 2007.
The Corporation (which is a private company) has appointed the services of AgEconPlus Pty Ltd to undertake the review. As part of this review the principle consultant, Michael Clarke, has been contacting egg producers to seek their views on the operations and results of AECL.
If any egg producers wish to make their views known on how they think AECLhas performed in recent years, speak to Michael on (02) 9817 5888 or email him on info@ageconplus.com.au
I have already had discussions with him - particularly about AECL's lack of representation of the free range sector, the proposed new 'free range' standard, and the need for the free range industry to receive funding directly from the chick levy for promotional purposes

Proposed Aussie egg standard ridiculed in UK

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association says that the Australian Egg Corporation's plans to introduce new intensive standards for so-called 'free range' egg production will be good for them because it will show the world just how high the UK standards are.

'But I can't see how it can be good for their birds or their industry to stock birds at these levels and try to call it "free range" said John Retson, Chairman of BFREPA.

We can't see that either! The Australian Egg Corporation appears hell-bent on destroying consumer confidence in our industry. And they expect that their new standard will receive ISO certification. Dream on!

Here's a copy of the BFREPA Chair's letter published in the latest Poultry World magazine.

Egg Corp AGM and Industry Forum

The Australian Egg Corporation's Industry Forum and Annual Meeting will be held in Adelaide this year, on November 24 and 25.

AECL staff have been keen to ensure there will be no debate on proposed changes for 'free range' standards. But that might not succeed as I have challenged James Kellaway (AECL Managing Director) to list statements made by people opposed to the draft standard which he alleges are 'half truths'.

In his column in the industry newsletter Eggstra Eggstra Mr Kellaway made the following assertions:

"Given the research undertaken to date, AECL continues to liaise with industry and consult with egg producers over the draft minimum standards in order to be more objective and measurable on key production parameters for each of the three recognised production systems. AECL is seeking to build industry credibility, accountability and transparency for all Australian egg producers during this process, not diminish it. It has been unfortunate that some egg producers, during this industry consultative phase, have decided to react and 'attack' the draft minimum standards by approaching the media for their own ends and political means by telling half truths and colourful language."

Those assertions have not been substantiated and I challenged his allegations in an email which was copied to many people in the egg industry. There has been significant support from producers all over Australia and others in all sectors of the industry. Some of them I have worked with, but most of them I have never met.
The ball is now in Mr Kellaway's court.
It's sad that the AECL has taken the approach of only focussing on the needs of big business. It's actions demonstrate that it ignores small producers, environmental issues and the views of consumers.

An example of its attitude to the environment is there for all to see on the front of its AGM leaflet. Emblazened across the bottom is the quote:

'We can't impede progress in the name of environmental action that yields little for the environment and even less for our people.. and we should look at the environment as an economic opportunity.' from Meg Whitman who plans to run as governor of California for the Republican Party.

I don't quibble about 'little for the environment and even less for people' ...  that is clearly what she sees as a legitimate view. BUT  'looking at the environment as an economic opportunity' shows a total lack of understanding about the world in which we all live.

We all breath air, we all drink water (well most of us) and it's hard to understand that some of our 'leaders' don't care about future generations. Maybe Meg Whitman and James Kellaway should read Soylent Green.

Egg wars - the Egg Corporation's 'free range' plans

There is an excellent article on Google News about the Australian Egg Corporation's planned changes to 'free range' standards. Here's the link
Egg Wars - The Australian Egg Corporation changes "Free Range" Rules

Hopefully, once we have a new federal government in place we may actually get someone in Canberra to listen!!!

Getting hens out of cages is a good idea, but producers need to be honest about they are doing and the way they describe their production systems.

The Dalai Lama has now clmed intothe debate with a letter to the Humane Society nternational and the Humane Society of the United States.

The Dalai Lama Condemns Cage Confinement of Egg-Laying Hens

WASHINGTON (Aug. 31, 2010) – His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has issued a statement in the wake of the largest egg recall in United States history. In a letter, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate decries the egg industry’s cruel treatment of hens and urges egg buyers to switch to cage-free eggs:

“The abuse we inflict on hens has always been particularly disturbing to me and I have always been particularly concerned toward how these animals are treated in industrial food production. I am troubled to learn about the practice of confining egg laying hens in tiny cages. In these cages, birds cannot engage in their natural behaviours, such as spreading their wings, laying eggs in a nesting area, perching, scratching at the ground, even standing on a solid surface. Each hen has less space to live than the very sheet of paper I have written this letter on. Turning these defenseless animals into egg-producing machines with no consideration for their welfare whatsoever is a degradation of our own humanity. Switching to cage free eggs would reduce the suffering of these animals.”

The Dalai Lama’s statement comes as a major U.S. movement against cruel and inhumane cages on factory egg farms is taking root. Prominent U.S. corporations from Burger King to Safeway are switching to cage-free eggs. Michigan and California have passed laws to phase out the use of cages to confine hens. California has also passed a law requiring that all whole eggs sold statewide be cage-free by 2015. In Ohio, agriculture leaders agreed to a moratorium on the construction of new cage egg facilities.

Woolworths push for more 'free range' eggs

The decision by Woolworths to scale down the number of factory farms which supply the cage eggs sold in its supermarkets has been welcomed by many in the industry. But the decision doesn't automatically mean that it will sell less cage eggs.
It could be that the same numbers will be sold from fewer suppliers - so it cuts their costs. But if it does result in increased sales of 'free range' eggs it won't necessarily be a bonanza for consumers. It is being said that as sales increase, prices of free range eggs will drop. But they will never be as cheap as cage eggs.
Currently the industry is dominated by cage egg producers with about 80 per cent of Australia's 13 million laying hens kept in cages.
But the market share of free-range eggs has been increasing strongly in recent years and this latest move could give some added impetus. One of the main difficulties is determining what the words 'free range' mean. Eggs sold in Woolworths and other supermarkets as 'free range' are almost inevitably laid by hens kept in large flocks. Each hen will have been de-beaked (or beak trimmed) to prevent cannibalism caused by the high density production system. (Even though the national hen welfare code stipulates that beak trimming should be a last resort)
Many thousands of hens vie for space in sheds which contain all the food and water . There may be holes in the sides of the sheds to 'allow' the hens to go outside - but why would they if there's nothing outside for them.
Sure it looks good to have a few hens poking around outside but in many cases more than half of the hens never go outside. If that's your idea of free range then run along to Woolies or Safeway to buy your eggs.
What's really needed is a definition for high density free range production which clearly differentiates them from traditional free range methods with hens in small flocks.
Farms like ours are not interested in volume production. We don't want to supply supermarkets and we are perfectly happy just providing eggs to customers in our local area.
We have a food miles policy which limits our distribution to just one hour from the farm which is why we don't go to any of the Melbourne Farmers' Markets or sell to restaurants and shops in Melbourne.