From
the Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth
A
LOCAL egg industry expert says many producers are worried about their
ability to deal with two major changes facing
their
industry nationally – a legal definition of free-range eggs, and
egg stamping.
while
egg stamping has already started to be rolled out nationally and is
set to come into force in NSW on November 26, a legal definition of
freerange eggs will not be decided upon for several years.
A
spokesman for federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said a
national framework was “still quite a while away
...
preparing these standards is expected to take a number of years to
complete”.
The
consumer affairs ministers’ forum, set to meet early next year,
would “not consider a draft standard next year – it would be a
progress update to consider how to proceed”, the spokesman said.
The
chairman of the NSW Farmers’ egg committee, Bede Burke, who lives
at Winton, said any definition of free range had to ultimately help
producers.
“It’s
absolutely necessary, but it needs to be paralleled with how those
four million (free-range) birds are currently housed,” Mr Burke
said.
He
said many producers had spent the past three to five years
spending a lot of money changing infrastructure to comply with the
existing code of practice.
If
the code was changed “dramatically”, it would mean producers
would have to “rethink whether to put (more)
capital
in ... farmers need to re-evaluate whether they’re going to stay in
the industry”, he said.
“The
definition by the code of practice was very loose and that’s where
we’ve got these problems,” he said.
Mr
Burke said outdoor stocking density was one of the biggest issues
regarding what qualified as free range.
“It’s
a very emotive issue and it is an issue people don’t understand
well,” he said.
comment by Freeranger Eggs:
What
Bede Burke doesn't understand (or pretends he doesn't understand is
that the Model Code currently imposes a maximum outdoor stocking
density of 1500 per hectare for free range laying hens. It's only in
the last five of six years that 'smart' operators in the industry
have tried to claim that the Model Code sets no maximum limit.
The
problem for the rest of us is that the corporate industry is able to
exert great political pressure. Bede Burke has the ear of Federal
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce (they were at school together).
Those of us who care about the future of the egg industry need to let the Ministers for Fair Trading know that industry
heavyweights are talking nonsense
Contrary to Bede Burke's ravings, this is what AECL Managing director James Kellawsay has been telling egg farmers:
'This decision is directed to the industry practice of labelling of "free range" eggs and provides guidelines for the lawful usage of such term.
The judgement has some very important ramifications for free range egg farming, as it is now law. The judgement defines, to a degree, what free range egg farming is.
As a result, I urge you all to read the judgement carefully and take any necessary steps to ensure you comply.'
Contrary to Bede Burke's ravings, this is what AECL Managing director James Kellawsay has been telling egg farmers:
'This decision is directed to the industry practice of labelling of "free range" eggs and provides guidelines for the lawful usage of such term.
The judgement has some very important ramifications for free range egg farming, as it is now law. The judgement defines, to a degree, what free range egg farming is.
As a result, I urge you all to read the judgement carefully and take any necessary steps to ensure you comply.'
