UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says human patients infected with avian 'flu won't infect poultry

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says there is no evidence that human patients infected with H7N9 avian influenza can transmit the virus to animals. FAO referred to the first human case of H7N9 outside China, which was recently detected in Malaysia.
The patient, originally from Guangdong Province in China was visiting Malaysia as a tourist and has been hospitalized. Guangdong is one of the Chinese provinces most affected by the H7N9 virus.
"This case does not come as a surprise and should not be a cause for increased concern, but should remind the world to remain vigilant," said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth. "Humans that become ill with H7N9 constitute no threat to poultry," Lubroth said.
"We have no evidence that affected people could transmit the virus to other species, including birds. The highest risk of virus introduction is uncontrolled live poultry trade between affected and unaffected areas."
People become infected following close contact with infected live poultry, mostly in live bird markets or when slaughtering birds at home.
WHO risk assessments show that should infected people from affected areas travel internationally, community spread is unlikely since the virus does not have the ability to transmit easily among humans.
Lubroth observed that "Such 'imported' human cases, like the one reported in Malaysia last week, have been found in the past in previously unaffected areas of China, like Guizhou, Taiwan Province of China and Hong Kong SAR, and we will likely continue to see this in the not too distant future again. To date the virus has not been found in poultry populations outside affected areas in China."
Birds that have contracted H7N9 do not show clinical signs, which renders early detection of the virus in poultry populations more difficult.
FAO is focusing on high risk countries, facilitating risk assessment, contingency planning, expansion of diagnostic capabilities and risk-based surveillance.

The real reason for Toyota, GM and Alcoa pulling out of Australia

The real reason for Toyota, General Motors and Ford pulling out of manufacturing in Australia may have been revealed today. Federal Trade Minister Andrew Robb announced a Free Trade Agreement with South Korea. He said that tariffs on Australian exports will be removed under the agreement and that the deal would deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.
 

Plans are also well advanced for the Trans Pacific Partnership which will extend so-called 'free trade' still further and this may have helped to trigger Alcoa's decision to close its Geelong smelter. Alcoa is "repositioning" itself in the global market place - it already has operations in South Korea and Indonesia. The TPP could be signed in Singapore this week.

"As a result of the agreement, tariffs will be eliminated on Australia's major exports to Korea and there will be significant new market openings in services and investment," said Minister Robb.
 

"As part of the FTA, tariffs of up to 300 per cent will be eliminated on key Australian agricultural exports such as beef, wheat, sugar, dairy, wine, horticulture and seafood, as well as resources, energy and manufactured goods.”
 

It is claimed that the benefits of the FTA will start immediately, with some modelling suggesting that the Free Trade Agreement would be worth $5 billion between 2015 and 2030 and could boost the economy by around $650 million annually after 15 years.
 

The suggestion is that Australian automotive suppliers will benefit from the immediate removal of tariffs as high as eight per cent; the wine industry from tariffs of 15 per cent and Australian wheat growers, potato farmers and cherry, grape and mango producers would all benefit.

 

If we believe that, we deserve everything we get!!

Unfortunately it seems that currently Australia's largest export through our ports is shipping containers! They arrive here full but as we have little to put in them, most are loaded empty onto the container ships - so effectively we are exporting Australian air.

Ask Tony Abbott to think again.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/australia-tpp/2/3/?akid=4011.1781662.iSzI7W&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=5

Consumers ripped-off by some egg producers

The gullibility of consumers never ceases to amaze me. Most just accept the marketing blurb provided by producers – even at Farmers' Markets.

Recent hot weather has been used as an excuse by some egg producers to put manufactured colouring additives and meat meal in their poultry rations. (Many others have been doing that for years).

Now more than 95% (and it's probably 99%) of egg producers, even those which claim to be free range, are using additives to enhance yolk colour as hot conditions have dried off the pasture on which the hens are supposed to roam.

They have looked for a solution which is low cost and easy rather than go to the extra effort (and cost) of supplementing existing feed with green leafy vegetables, pumpkins, carrots and lucerne meal or sprouted grains.

Here's a Facebook post by an egg producer which provides an 'excuse' for its decision: “Please note that we have an immediate change in poultry diet based on veterinary and animal nutritionist’s advice due to severe heat stress caused by prolonged 40’C + temperatures.
Our feed ration needs to include soluble meat protein and natural pigmentation (which is the norm in the egg industry). The extreme heat has decimated our green pasture and caused weight loss in flocks and as such we have no alternative but to implement these changes to our farming practices”.

The big difficulty with colouring additives is that although some may be based on natural products, they are manufactured in laboratories or factories (often in China) and concentrated in powder or liquid form. Many of them generate allergic reactions or sensitivities – which lead people to think that they are allergic to eggs.

 

We can provide details about the allergic properties of the commonly used additives.

The use of meat meal is also an issue as poultry products are frequently used by the feed mills.

Imported eggs on the way to Australia?

With Australian supermarkets squealing about a shortage of eggs, pressure is on for imports. Already some countries are eyeing off Australia as a potential market for shell eggs - and once the Trans Pacific Partnership is in place there will be no legal means to stop them.

Exports of U.S. table eggs in 2013 were an all-time high - 187.93 million dozen valued at $184.24 million, up 50 percent from 2012 - thanks largely to increased shipments to Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The top markets for U.S. table eggs in 2013 were Mexico, 62.2 million dozen, up from 17 million dozen in 2012; Hong Kong, 51.4 million dozen, up 11 percent; Canada, 39.3 million dozen, up 50 percent; the U.A.E., 11.4 million dozen, down 11 percent; the European Union, 8.6 million dozen, down 2 percent.

The dodgy Trans-Pacific Partnerhip agreement

The Australian Government says that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is 'a viable pathway for realising the vision of a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific.'

It says that the Asia-Pacific region is a driver of global economic growth with close to half of all global trade.

The secretive TPP negotiations include five of Australia’s top 10 trading partners, Japan, United States, Singapore, New Zealand and Malaysia. The Government claims that Australia’s participation in the TPP negotiations will strengthen our trade relationship with these key trading partners. The TPP also includes Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Peru, and Vietnam – and others have been invited to join.

But if it is all it's cracked up to be, why are the negotiations not public? There are huge global businesses pushing the agenda and it seems that they don't want us to know what is going on.

Information which has been leaked about the negotiations causes many concerns over things like the trashing of national food safety regulations and draconian enforcement measures over intellectual property rights.

If the TPP is implemented it will take 'free trade' to a completely different level and we can kiss goodbye to food safety standards. Our own industry will be under attack as there will no way to prevent the importation of eggs from any of the participating countries.

Have a look at:

https://www.eff.org/issues/tpp

Farm inspection OK for food safety

The annual inspection of our food safety and farm management procedures was conducted today and everything was fine.
The HACCP-based Food Safety Program which we use, plus our extensive record keeping ensures that we comply with all food safety requirements.
We meet the food safety standards of the Health Department and the requirements of the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.
It seems that we are the first egg farm in the region to implement egg stamping to provide farm traceability. All farms are required to comply with stamping regulations by November this year.

Victorian Farmers' Markets Association ignoring member concerns

Members of the Victorian Farmers' Markets Association have been concerned about being by-passed in a decision to bring forward the date on which membership fees are payable. Despite complaints to the new committee, members views have been ignored.
There has been a great deal of discussion by stallholders at markets around Victoria, and the problems have been clearly put in the latest newsletter of the Koonwarra Farmers' Market - supported by many others. We hope that the new committee of the VFMA looks at the problems instead of branding all dissenting voices as 'troublemakers.'
Here's the report from Koonwarra Farmers' Market (the first Farmers' Market in Victoria).
'The reaction by producers to the new VFMA member's fee structure has been anticipated for some time. Your present and past market managers had raised producers concerns of VFMA policies and potential fees, closure was denied.
History has repeated itself; the VFMA has failed to communicate with the industry that it represents.
It is documented by this market that the accreditation scheme with its sweeping powers was developed without direct producer input or regional market's consultation; as a result there has
been ongoing resentment. This market's former Market Manager and Treasurer (Juliet & Bill) also stated that eventually the costs associated with VFMA's accreditation scheme would in time come back to all producers.
Founding markets Koonwarra and Yarra Valley had meetings to initiate VFMA's development 14 years ago. This was in recognition that an industry representative was required. That has not
changed only the politics.
KOONWARRA FARMERS MARKET INFORMAL MEETING JANUARY 2014
Report to VFMA on resolving membership concerns. Koonwarra's market is producer owned and operated, proud of its founding history, devotion to authenticity, considerate of local producer's viability and keeping to the Jane Adams founding farmers' market principles. With this background we take farmers market related topics earnestly.
The producers at Koonwarra are well informed on VFMA activities receiving regular updates by our unique "Market Matters" newsletter devoted to topics relevant to this market's long successful operation.
Summary of discussions:
Below is a clarification and brief of Koonwarra's informal gathering and producer/market management communication. It is a detailed summary with conclusions that convey both Koonwarra producers' opinions and endeavours to resolve their VFMA fee concerns.
• "The existing market VFMA levy becomes the VFMA member/levy fee inclusive due at every market attended".
a. The above amount to be determined by VFMA's ongoing administration budget and necessitates reconciliation between the predicted revenue from VFMA's annual membership fees at regional markets and a VFMA member/levy. An acceptance of the outcome is critical for producers.
b. The user pays: those attending accredited markets regularly have the most to gain and therefore would pay though the above members/levy fee at every market attended. This means that growers/producers attending seasonally or just a small number of markets will pay minimal members/levy, a reflection on their market attendance. They will not be subsidising (through the existing VFMA member's fee) the more active producers achieving far greater financial benefits by attending many VFMA accredited markets.
c. Taking into consideration some members have already paid the VFMA annual fee it was accepted that a dual system may be required for the remainder of 2014.
• "All accredited and non- accredited stallholders at a given VFMA accredited market pay the same member/levy fee regardless of accreditation status. Community groups exempted". This removes
existing discrimination between the farmer, specialty food makers and non- accredited stallholders, all would pay the same and become VFMA members by attending accredited markets as stallholders.
• "Lower member/levy fees at every accredited market in the regional areas and graduating upwards at interface and city markets, similar structure to the existing VFMA levy fees". This is a reflection on the fluctuating and often non-viable returns achieved by many producers attending regional markets with low customer attendance. Many businesses are emerging and require consideration.
The above summary also anticipates that beyond 2014 there would be considerably less demand on administration, both at the market and by VFMA staff. Members/levy fees would be paid by attending markets as stallholders: additional recording or pursuing of fees would not be required, gaining more time to devote to accreditation administration. The VFMA would also gain a predictable and secure monthly cash flow.'
As a result of the complaints by members, the VFMA has removed almost half the members from its accreditation program. The latest figures on the VFMA website show only 218 accredited members.

New voluntary 'free range' standard in US

There's a new voluntary standard for 'free range' egg production in the United States - but it is probably doomed like all the other schemes because it doesn't have teeth and is not backed by legislation.

The organisation Humane Farm Animal Care spent about two years developing a scientific basis for its new definitions. But did it really need to bother? What it came up with was little better better than the useless definitions used by by accreditation bodies here in Australia. It says 'Pasture Raised' means that the outdoor stocking density should be no more than 1500 hens per hectare (which is the density most free range producers in Australia say should be a maximum here for classification as free range).

But the discussion could be useful if politicians, bureaucrats and egg producers choose to listen and agree on legislation. We need full-on debate now that the Model Code is under review. Barnaby Joyce should take the opportunity to involve the industry and consumers in the process. What is needed is a definition that meets sustainable farming practices, production  realities, consumer expectations and animal welfare issues. Not hard to achieve as long as the vested interests of big business are not allowed to dominate the process as it has for years.

Details here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/16/hfac-cert-humane-labl-idUSnPnMMkFmpF+169+PRN20140116

Egg printing options

There are so many egg printing/stamping options around that it's all a bit of a blur trying to work out the most effective system for our farm.
We have ordered a single egg stamper which will be used over the next few months while we continue the search for a laser or inkjet printer which we can couple with our elderly grading machine.
It will be interesting to get the reactions of our customers at Farmers' Markets when they first see printing on our eggs.
The ink used is supposedly food grade.
It's all part of national food safety regulations and everyone selling eggs in Victoria is required to comply by November this year. (I almost foolishly said they must comply - but of course they won't). Currently there are many egg sellers who ignore regulations. They are not registered with their Council, or with DEPI and have have no idea about food safety issues. Why are genuine producers forced to meet the cost of compliance when so many backyarders flout the system?
They sell their dodgy eggs on the roadside or at markets (even those which claim to be accredited Farmers' Markets)  every week and no-one does anything about it. I will raise this issue again with our local environmental health officer at our next inspection!

Does the egg industry need a Quality Assurance scheme?

The Australian Egg Corporation really is a law unto itself. A letter arrived today advising that a consultant had been appointed 'to help provide AECL with clarity on whether a national industry based Quality Assurance scheme is required by egg producers.'
What the .... !!!!!!!

AECL has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of members funds in developing its ill-fated Egg Standards Australia debacle which was rejected by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Wouldn't it have been sensible to find out if the scheme was wanted or needed before spending all that dough?

In the letter, AECL asks three questions:
1.should the egg industry have a QA scheme?
2. if so, should AECL offer such a scheme?
3. if the answer is yes, then 'how' should the scheme be offered, taking account of structure and resources?

Well in response to those questions:

1. No. What's important is to have a national standard reflecting provisions in the Model Code. The industry needs clear definitions covering production types (cage, barn and free range) and those definitions must be enshrined in legislation to prevent the sort of nonsense which the corporate egg industry has been getting away with for years. The only other real requirement is meeting food safety regulations which are in place in all States.

2. No. AECL has demonstrated its incompetence with its 20,000 hens per hectare stocking density proposal for free range farms. Farms can readily develop their own QA schemes having regard to an enforceable Model Code (or its successor) and State Food Safety Regulations. As a lobby group, there is no place for AECL to have any involvement in the implementation or oversight of any such scheme. There are already Food Safety Regulations in place with compliance administered by State Governments and local councils - there is no need for this process to be duplicated.

Will AECL take any notice? I doubt it.

Egg Corporation 'not into agri-political activity'

There's always a snippet of interesting information which comes from the Annual Meeting of the Australian Egg Corporation.

The latest one was no exception. The draft minutes show that at the meeting in Perth in November, Mr Don Andary asked "If AECL would respond to comments by a South Australian MP about AECL."

The question presumably was about comments by Liberal Member Michael Pengilly who said: " The Australian Egg Corporation, as far as I am concerned, is nothing much short of a mob of crooks."

There was widespread agreement with that comment at the time.

But the response by AECL Chair Jeff Ironside at the AGM was "Under the terms of the Statutory Funding Agreement, AECL was prohibited from undertaking agri-political activity."

That's news to the industry as AECL has been up to its neck in agri-politics for years. If that has come to a halt, we all welcome it.

Ethical Eggs

Here's most of the article 'Ethical Eggs' written by Lesley Lopes and published in the latest issue of G Magazine. It will help to make the corporate egg industry businesses reassess their actions.
 

'Eggs aren't just eggs any more. There are cage eggs, barn-laid, cage-free, organic, cruelty-free, free-range and more. And when it comes to free-range - one of the fastest growing sectors of the market - the choices only seem to be getting more confusing and the guarantees of product authenticity more blurred.
Free-range eggs now account for about 38 per cent of the retail market compared to ten percent in 2000, according to egg industry body, the Australian Egg Corporation Limited (AECL), But one so-called free-range egg can be quite different to another.
Most of us would think of free-range chooks as birds that are free to wander in the outdoors for much of the day, with enough shelter from the elements and predators, space and food to lead comfortable Iives. But when you reach for the 'free-range' eggs at the supermarket, you could be buying product from farms that have many thousands more birds per hectare than the 1500 considered the ideal by a nationaI Model Code of Practice. The problem is that the Code is voluntary - it was endorsed by every state and territory in 2002 but not everyone adheres to it.
The AECL has said that nearly 30 per cent of eggs produced in Australia come from farms running more than 20,000 birds per hectare.
Indeed. one farm in Young, NSW, where an outbreak of a strain of bird flu forced the culling of about 400,000 birds, was found to have 80,000 birds in an area of 1.6 ha. There has been much debate of late between big and small egg producers, animal welfare agencies and government about the national egg production standards. When we wrote this story, all players were waiting for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission {ACCC) to make a move toward regulating the egg Industry nationally.
In 2012, the AECL made a submission to the ACCC for a Certification Trade Mark that would allow eggs from farms with 20,000 hens per hectare to be labelled as free - range. In rejecting the submission, the ACCC said the proposed standard may mislead consumers about the nature of eggs described as free range. "The strong public interest in this matter shows that consumers want clear and accurate labelling of eggs," ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said at the time. adding that it did not accord with consumer expectations about free -range egg production.
A 'cage-free' label means it likely your as have come from chocks that live entirely indoors in barns. The 'pasture ranged organic' label is designed to differentiate free-range hens that are free to wander on pasture from those chickens that are perhaps kept indoors or only let outdoors infrequently.
And just because the eggs are labelled 'free-range' doesn't mean the hens have been fed differently from caged birds, or organically - they could be eating the same animal-derived products or genetically modified grains that can be fed to caged birds.
The Queensland government approved an increase of free -range layer hen stocking densities in July from 1,500 to 10,000. Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have also been selling free-range labelled eggs that come from farms with 50,000 birds per hectare, about which the Humane Society International (HSI) has complained to the ACCC.
'We must not sacrifice the livelihoods of genuine free-range producers, promote consumer fraud, or impact on the welfare of millions of animals to appease a few large producers who are looking to redefine 'free-range' to mirror their intensive free -range operations' said a statement from the HSI. The organisation has called on the government for a national legislated free -range standard.
Research by consumer group CHOICE shows that free-range eggs cost almost twice the price of cage eggs and one-fifth more than barn-laid eggs.
And consumers often don't always get what they paid for. CHOICE lodged a complaint with the NSW Department of Fair Trading, saying there was an urgent need for a clear national definition of 'free-range' and tighter regulation.
Free-range practices came under fire from Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce who claimed they were more likely to cause an outbreak of avian influenza than other egg production processes. His comment came in the wake of the culling of birds at the Young farm, but it was subsequently shown the farm in question far exceeded recognised bird densities at about 80.000 per hectare, and most of the culled birds ware caged.
"This shows how corrupt the industry is and how duped consumers are," says Verna Simpson, HSI Director. Both the Humane Society International and Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon have called on Mr Joyce to retract or clarify his statement, saying the strain of bird flu In question is more likely caused by overcrowding.
"Supermarkets have applied so much pressure to producers to supply cheap 'free range' eggs for their private labels that farmers are prepared to compromise human health and our food security to meet their demands," Verna adds. "lf people can only afford cage eggs, that's fine, but these eggs should be labelled accordingly"
All eyes are on the ACCC as we await its next move'.

2014 International Year of Family Farming

We hope that 2014 will demonstrate to our politicions in Canberra and all State parliaments that family farms are a greater benefit to the country and the community than the corporate giants which get all the attention.

The International Year of Family Farming aims to stimulate policies for the sustainable development of family farms, communal units, and cooperatives.
When the United Nations declared 2014 as the Year of Family Farming, it announced that family farms were important for sustainable food production to achieve food security. The Year focuses on solutions to combat poverty and hunger.
We will do everything we can to get our politicians to recognise this and we will host a number of events throughout the year. 

 

http://www.timeanddate.com/year/2014/family-farming.html

Victorian Produce Field Guide now just $25

The Field Guide to Victorian Produce will make a great Christmas present - especially as the price has now been cut from $40 to $25.

The Guide makes it easy for anyone to access quality produce from their food region, or to enjoy regional food tourism by going direct to the source. The Guide also connects growers to new markets by providing a platform for them to tell their story and sell their goods. In the name of localism and authenticity this book celebrates quality regional produce, farming and a healthy life - just like us at Freeranger Eggs.

Full of great stories, recommendations by locals, beautiful illustrations, useful maps and two indexes the Guide is a valuable addition to the Victorian food sector – a much needed resource and a practical tool.

It can be ordered via the products page of the Freeranger website www.freeranger.com.au or you can pick it up at one of the Farmers' Markets we attend.

http://www.locavored.com/purchase-the-field-guide-to-victorian-produce/

Hen welfare is a complex issue - but genuine free range comes out on top

Professor Christine Nicol of Bristol University in the UK has written about the media misrepresentation of some of her work on hen welfare issues. Some news outlets here in Australia were guilty of publishing misleading information.

She says there has been a good deal of media coverage about the relative merits of enriched cage and free-range egg production.

'Some,' she says 'reached the simple conclusion that enriched cages are better for hen welfare than free range. Others have argued the opposite'.

She argues that in a comprehensive study comparing four different housing systems, hens in enriched cages had lower mortality and fewer problems relating to disease, pecking injuries and skeletal health than hens in any other system. However, in terms of bird welfare, enriched cage can never provide birds with the full freedom to perform behaviours that matter to them.

'In this respect the free-range system has the edge. More so than any alternative, the free-range system has the potential to meet both the physical and the behavioural needs of the birds', Professor Nicol says.

Full details of the UK report here:

http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/12/12/2013/142106/free-range-can-be-better-if-issues-are-addressed.htm

Free range court battles - ACCC acts

At last the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken action against a couple of big egg producers who claim that the eggs they sell are 'free range'. The industry knows that this con has been going on for years, but it became big business - worth millions - once some of the smart operators interpreted a clause in the Appendix to the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry as allowing an unlimited stocking density on free range farms.
The Code actually limits outdoor stocking densities to 1500 hens per hectare - but the guys chasing dollars chose to interpret a clause relating to meat birds as also applying to egg laying hens. They were dreaming, but (for them) it made sense for their bottom lines. The difference of course is that stocking density for meat birds is not as relevant as they are sent off to the abattoir when they are five or six weeks old so they hardly have any time out of the sheds in which they were raised.
Keep it up ACCC !!!!
http://accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-institutes-proceedings-against-free-range-egg-producers

Pakenham Gazette - On the Land

The Freeranger Eggs farm featured in this week's Pakenham Gazette in the On the Land section. This sort of article does us far more good than features in metropolitan papers - or on radio and tv - because we only sell locally.
We don't travel for hours doing the rounds of city markets as do many many of our colleagues in the egg industry.
They make a mockery of the pretence that they are selling 'local' food. I suppose they can always claim that it's local somewhere!

Biosecurity problems led to avian influenza outbreaks

Investigations into the avian influenza outbreaks near Young in New South Wales appear to confirm that the biosecurity practices on the two farms were not up to scratch – even though they were said to be 'state of the art' facilities.

It seemed odd that the initial outbreak was able to spread so quickly to cage hens on a farm which also had birds with 'access' to the outdoors – and then to a separate cage farm.

The likely cause has now been revealed by the Department of Primary Industries in NSW.

'The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H7N2 outbreak near Young was first detected in a free range and cage layer chicken farm near Young. The free range birds had potential exposure to waterbirds and a dam is located close to the free range poultry enterprise. Ducks have been reported on the property. Mortalities were first seen in the free range birds before clinical signs were seen in the caged birds, suggesting free range layers were infected before the cage layers. Avian influenza viruses are known to circulate in migratory and waterbirds in Australia. This incident appears to be a point source introduction by a wild bird, followed by adaptation and selection of a virus with high pathogenicity to chickens. A second infected property was detected and confirmed to be HPAI H7N2. This is a caged layer farm. Re-use of cardboard egg cartons is the most likely route of transmission from the first infected property to the second infected property and between enterprises on the first infected property.

The Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) is a formal, legally binding agreement between Animal Health Australia, the Australian government, all state and territory governments, and currently fourteen livestock industry signatories (‘parties’). The EADRA covers the management and funding of responses to emergency animal disease (EAD) incidents. HPAI H7N2 is a category 2 disease, which means that government covers 80% of the costs and industry covers 20% of the costs. The industry costs are determined in relation to industries' gross value of production. Under EADRA, each industry party must take reasonable steps to ensure that its industry meets the cost sharing obligations of that industry. The Commonwealth may initially meet an industry’s cost sharing obligations, and that industry will then repay the Commonwealth within a reasonable time period.'

Statements by politicians and others about the outbreaks were factually incorrect. A comparative analysis on the number of avian influenza outbreaks in Australia between 1976 and 2013 demonstrates that most avian influenza outbreaks were in intensive housing systems. The last two outbreaks in 2012 and 2013 were in very large free range flocks. The risks of avian influenza in free range should be discussed in the context of the size of the flock and the stocking density. 
The industry needs to learn from this – for example, dams should not be located anywhere near the range area to limit the potential for wild duck access. Most of us in the free range industry have been well aware of this issue. There is also a problem with operating different production facilities on the same property. Establishing Barn, Cage and intensive Free Range sheds in close proximity to each other, with staff moving freely between the different systems, is a disaster waiting to happen.

Food Safety and Quality Assurance program for all free range egg farms in Australia

 

There is massive demand amongst free range egg farmers for help with preparing the documentation needed to comply with the increasing complexity of State and Federal regulations. Because there now is no active association representing the free range industry here in Victoria, we have been getting emails and phone calls from operators of free range farms asking how they can set up food safety and quality assurance programs on their farms.
We also get quite a few requests from interstate.
The simplest way, as we always tell them, is to adapt a generic program which has already been developed.
We have a program on the Freeranger website which is readily available on the Freeranger Club page and full info is available on the Food Safety page of our site. If anyone needs help adapting the program, please contact an egg industry consultant - or we can help. All you have to do is ask.
http://www.freeranger.com.au/food-safety.html
A heap of information is also available on the DEPI website and every registered egg producer has received a copy of the booklet on food safety. The document includes information to assist in meeting the requirements of the standard and manage the food safety hazards associated with egg production.

Producers must comply with the obligations set out in the standard if they have 50 birds or more. If you don't have a recognised QA program in place, you are required to follow a food safety management statement.The food safety management statement is evidence that you have appropriate systems in place and the statement must be produced if you are asked to do so.

A food safety management statement can be a recognised quality assurance program or a generic food safety management statement approved by the Secretary of the DEPI.

Egg cartel case looming?

In a keynote address to an Economics Conference in Sydney, the Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims argued that Australia should embrace the root and branch review of competition policy and law and forshadowed major moves against egg producers who have been involved in collusion.

Here's a few quotes from his address: “Most of our consumer issues have an important competition dimension. For example, our work on credence claims, dealing with false claims as to where (Australia, King Island) or how (free range, or by a skilled artisan) a good is made is for two reasons. First, the consumer is not getting what they paid for; second, and often more important, genuine producers are losing out to those making the false claims.

“Consider an industry with high entry barriers and three competitors who collude to raise prices. Suppose the demand curve for the goods is or is near vertical. In this case there may be no efficiency loss (at least in a static sense), just a transfer of wealth from the consumers to producers.

“How is the welfare loss from this cartel to be compared to inappropriate monopoly utility pricing, or misleading consumers about their consumer guarantee rights?

“With our collusion cases I expect more will be purely local cases, but international cases must always also be a priority, particularly when Australians, Australian businesses, and businesses in Australia suffer significant harm.

“I expect to be able to announce the commencement of another domestic cartel case before the end of the year.”

Let's hope it gets rolling!!
Details of his address here:
 http://www.accc.gov.au/speech/keynote-address-rbb-economics-conference

Details needed about the Avian Influenza outbreak

We have sent a request off to DAFF, the Federal Government Department  of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, asking about the outcome of the recent avian flu problems in NSW.
Egg farmers are keen to understand how the outbreak of Avian Influenza originated at Young. Has evidence been found on how it started? Were ducks involved and did the farm have a dam which could be accessed by the chickens? How was it spread throughout the original farm as we understand this was heralded as 'a state of the art' facility. Even more worrying is the question about how did it spread to a second farm - or was that a totally unrelated incident?
All eggs farmers want to ensure that our biosecurity systems are as effective as possible so it is necessary to know what went wrong in these two incidents.
We understand that all egg producers may be required to pay a levy as an Emergency Animal Disease Response to refund government costs. When is this levy likely to be imposed?

Vaccine against Bird Flu

The U.S Food & Drug Administration has approved the first vaccine for the prevention of H5N1 avian influenza. The vaccine, is for use in people 18 years of age and older who are at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 influenza virus.
Avian influenza A viruses generally do not infect people, however H5N1 has caused serious illness and death mostly among people who have been in close contact with infected poultry. When people do become infected with H5N1, about 60 percent die, according to the World Health Organization. H5N1 has pandemic potential because it continues to infect wild birds with occasional outbreaks of influenza disease in poultry populations, and most humans have no immunity to it.

A third person has died in Indonesia this year after contracting bird flu, and 12 have died in Cambodia.
Details:
http://www.wattagnet.com/165208.html

Are egg replacers all they seem?

An article in The Wall Street Journal extolling the virtues of Hampton Creek Foods egg replacers has been de-bunked by Terence O'Keefe in a blog published today. He says that the article was not written from a food perspective but was the work of a technology reporter. "This is common for the news items appearing about Hampton Creek Foods products, it isn’t the reporters on the food beat writing them. Just as I am not looking for reviews of the latest "smart" gadget in the food section of the paper, I am also not looking for culinary advice on the tech page", O'Keefe said.

Here's a link to the blog by Terence O'Keefe:
http://www.wattagnet.com/Why_is_the_tech_media_so_gullible_about_egg_replacers_.html

Tasmania releases new draft egg safety regulations

The Tasmanian Government today released draft egg regulations for public comment. They appear to  be a very sensible match of consumer protection measures while limiting the impact on backyarders.

The draft regulations (Primary Produce (Egg) Safety Regulations 2013) are designed to enable compliance with a national food safety standard that must be applied by all States and Territories.

Mr Klumpp, General Manager Biosecurity and Product Integrity with the Department of Primary Industries, said a new egg standard in the national Food Standards Code, developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, had a requirement for egg stamping to be introduced in all States and Territories as part of improving food safety standards in the egg production industry.

“Acknowledging this is a national requirement that Tasmania must comply with, the draft regulations for our State have been developed to take on concerns and issues from Tasmania’s large and small egg producers,” Mr Klumpp said.

“For example, although stamping of eggs to ensure traceability of sold products is required, we have identified a range of measures to enable compliance whilst minimising impacts on our smaller egg producers.”

Mr Klumpp said the measures Tasmania has identified to address concerns raised by some egg producers included:

· Producers who had fewer than 20 egg producing birds and did not sell eggs would not be required to stamp their product at all.

· Producers with fewer than 20 egg producing birds and intend selling their product would be provided with a free hand held stamp by the Department when they registered their details. This would enable eggs to simply be hand stamped to ensure traceability requirements are met. Producers in this category must still comply with the Food Standards Code, however, do not need to be accredited by DPIPWE.

· Producers with more than 20 egg producing birds will be required to be accredited by DPIPWE and have an audited and approved food safety program in place. However, this has been a requirement in Tasmania since commencement of the Egg Industry Act 2002. All eggs produced in this category are also required to be stamped.

“This national egg standard was developed in response to the level of egg-related illnesses occurring in Australia each year – estimated at more than 12,000 cases and costing $44 million.

“Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) determined that having commercial eggs stamped with the producers unique identifying mark would enable them to be quickly traced in the case of food safety problems.

“FSANZ ascertained that in the event of egg-related foodborne illness, stamped eggs could be more easily traced to the producer, enabling the cause of any contamination to be addressed quickly, preventing further potentially contaminated eggs entering the market and averting wide product recalls.”

Mr Klump said written submissions on the draft regulations could be made until 10 January 2014.

Egg stamping starts to roll out in Victoria

At last the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries has got around to issuing stamping codes to egg farms. We have just received our code at Freeranger Eggs. The Government chose to delay the introduction of compulsory stamping of individual eggs with a farm identification code until November next year - to give the industry time to adjust! But we are happy to start stamping long before that. The only reason we haven't begun already is that we couldn't get a code from them to put on our eggs.
Identifying each egg should help to control egg substitution but there are a couple of problems. Firstly, backyarders with 50 hens or less are exempt - so that that means Victorian consumers are being put at risk by buying something like a million eggs a year which cannot be traced. It is unfair to impose regulations on just some sellers. The same standards should be applied to anyone selling eggs (give them away by all means but all egg sellers should have to meet the same regulations).
Secondly, it seems that eggs can be stamped on the grading floor. That defeats the object of stamping to identify the farm on which the eggs are laid. Staff at the grading floor can use any stamp they like so unless the eggs are stamped on farm before they are sent to a grading floor, there can be no guarantee that the eggs are from the farm identified by the code.
Here's a link to an article in Tassie about the nonsense which has been generated there by people who don't care about food safety: http://www.themercury.com.au/lifestyle/our-storm-in-an-egg-cup/story-fnj64o9j-1226754065881

A comparision of egg production costs

Research has been published by the International Egg Commission, dealing with production costs in various egg production systems around the world.

Peter van Horne, an economist and economic analyst with the IEC said that the combination of high feed prices, legislation and especially the conventional cage ban in Europe has put the production costs of eggs at an all-time high. Costs differ per country, but enriched cages and aviary systems have significantly higher costs. A market bonus is necessary to compensate.

The conclusion is that enriched cages produce eggs at the lowest costs. Production costs in aviaries are higher compared to enriched cages (a cost increase of 22% compared with the old conventional cages). It says this means that a higher price must be achieved to keep the income for poultry farmers at a consistent level. Other alternative housing systems, like free range and organic, have higher production costs than enriched cages and aviaries. Eggs produced in these systems need an even higher bonus from the market to compensate the farmer for the additional costs.

I wonder how much that research cost!!!
More details here:
http://www.worldpoultry.net/Layers/Eggs/2013/10/Production-costs-of-eggs-at-record-high-level-1315811W/

Poultry scientist says her comments on hen welfare were 'misconstrued'

Poultry scientist Professor Christine Nicol from Bristol University sparked widespread controversy in the UK and overseas when a speech she made resulted in newspaper reports claiming that cage hens enjoyed better welfare than free range birds.

She said her speech had been misconstrued. Professor Nicol said that she agreed to appear on a panel of scientists explaining some of the more complex issues about farm size. During an hour-long briefing she said she mentioned that birds on very large farms could have rather good welfare outcomes on some measures. But, she said she could not prevent headlines like 'Cage hens are happier than free range' in the Daily Telegraph and 'Organic isn't better than factory farmed' in the Daily Mail. Even the BBC reported that, 'Welfare standards are on average higher in laying hens kept in cages than in free range flocks, according to a leading veterinary expert.'

Professor Nicol is well known in the poultry industry. Her team at Bristol has conducted research studies on laying birds, including current trials on beak trimming.

Her speech, at an event about the merits of large scale farming organised by the Science Media Centre, came just over a week after Elwyn Griffiths, chairman of the British Egg Products Association (BEPA), stood up at the Egg and Poultry Industry Conference to say that intensive egg production offered the highest level of hen welfare.

Sorghum v Corn in poultry feed may lead to more colouring additives

Scott Beyer, PhD, a researcher at Kansas State University in the US has found that grain sorghum varieties compare favourably to corn in low-cost feed formulations. Old varieties of grain sorghum contained relatively high amounts of the anti-nutritional compound, tannin. The presence of tannin in poultry feeds is known to suppress growth and performance of all types of poultry. Tannins bind to proteins and render them less available for metabolism.

Over decades of research, sorghum varieties that contained various levels of tannin were used to compile tables and other references for the feeding value of sorghum compared to corn. Many nutritionists continue to think of it as a lesser grain although new varieties have been introduced with high relative nutrient values. Some varieties of grain sorghum containing significant quantities of tannin are still around but varieties are grown for animal feed that are 99 percent free of tannin.

The nutrient profile of sorghum is complementary to protein sources typically used in poultry rations anywhere in the world, and is very similar to corn. Amino acid digestibility compares favourably with corn. The fat content of grain sorghum and the energy value for poultry is slightly lower when compared to corn. However, this difference can be balanced in rations with other sources of energy.

The big drawback with replacing corn with sorghum is that it contains smaller quantities of yellow xanthophylls required for egg yolk pigmentation – which means that even more egg farmers will resort to adding colouring additives to enhance yolk colour.

Tassie Farmers & Graziers reckon that exemptions for backyard egg sellers are unfair

With food health and hygiene, it's not appropriate to have one law for some and another law for others, according to the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association.
"We're told the recent changes to egg labeling regulations reflect an assessed risk of food contamination from poor handling and other factors. If this is a real health risk, you cannot exempt backyard and small producers from being responsible for what they sell," Association chief executive Jan Davis said.
Ms Davis was commenting on a move by the Tasmanian Greens to exempt people with fewer than 50 hens from new regulations that come into force there on 26 November 2013.
These regulations will require any eggs sold in Tasmania to be stamped with identifying information.
"The rationale is that, if there is a problem, we have to be able to isolate the producer responsible," Ms Davis said.
"If you exempt a large segment of the industry that supplies eggs, even if it is a backyard industry, you destroy the integrity of the risk assessment system. Of particular concern is that, in many cases, this smaller segment is actually the greatest source of potential risk.
"Therefore it has to be all in or none in. Otherwise it's a clear case of discrimination.
"This is the sort of community division that arises when governments do not do their homework and do not consult with the appropriate people involved in the industry before they decide to act. I have already said that these regulations are typical of the nanny state approach common to governments in Australia.
"If these regulations are to be introduced, they must be imposed on all those who supply the market, not just the bigger players. A salmonella outbreak is not excusable simply because it derives from a small producer.
"If there is a problem with the administration of the regulations or the cost to smaller producers, then let's deal with that as a separate issue.
"What's good for the goose has to be good for the gander."
At Freeranger Eggs, we agree with those sentiments. If backyard producers squeal at the imaginary cost of stamping eggs, they can talk to the Government. In NSW the Government there undertook to provide hand held stampers to small producers.

Breakthrough with bird flu vaccine?

Researchers in Australia may have come up with a vaccine which could halt the transmission of bird flu in humans.
The New England Journal of Medicine has published a report on the findings of trials.
Details here:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1313186?query=featured_home

National Day of Climate Action

At Freeranger Eggs we operate the farm on sustainable principles and we have processes in place to minimise our environmental footprint. Check out our website to see some of the steps we have taken over the years. If you agree that there is a need for more action on climate change - join us the The Glade in Inverloch next Sunday (November 17). We will be there at the Inverloch Farmers' Market and at 11.30 we will also participate in a Climate Action Picnic as part of Get Up's National Day of Climate Action.

If you can't get to Inverloch, go along to one of the other events supporting the national day of action.
As well helping to send a message to Canberra, at Inverloch you will be able to enjoy our full range of eggs - from our Megga's right down to the tiny pullets eggs which are only available when a new flock starts to lay.

The strange and violent weather patterns being experience around the world may not be totally a result of the impact of humans - but do we dare to ignore the possibility?
Event at The Glade, Inverloch 11.30 next Sunday.

 

National Day of Climate Action

www.getup.org.au

Join the Freeranger Club

We have now launched the Freeranger Club for people thinking about starting a free range egg farm. We encourage you all to join! For a one-off subscription of just $40 (no ongoing fees) you will receive a copy of our eBook on setting up a free range farm, be booked in to attend one of our workshops at Grantville (the next one is on Sunday November 24) and get password-protected access to the Freeranger Club and downloads page on the Freeranger Eggs website. We will keep this page updated with industry happenings here and overseas and info which is of value to anyone who is in (or wants to be) in the free range egg industry. If you can't make it to the next workshop, we can book you into any subsequent workshop - the following one is scheduled for May 2014. Details are on our website: http://www.freeranger.com.au

 

Egg stamping may not enhance food safety - but it should 'stamp out' egg substitution

Stamping eggs with a farm identification code is part of a national food safety scheme - but it's being implemented differently in each State. Tasmania is going through problems right now with backyarders and shopkeepers squealing that they should be exempt from any regulations - even though they sell eggs to an unsuspecting public. In Victoria, the State Government has delayed the compulsory introduction of egg stamping until November next year - so the industry has time to 'adjust'.
The Government here also says it will exempt producers with less than 50 hens from the new requirements. Makes the new regulations pretty pointless. A few years ago, some research indicated that well over a million eggs (and probably more like 2 million) were sold in Australia each year by backyard operators who had no understanding of food safety issues and standards.
Some producers think that the whole concept of egg stamping  is a farce and will do nothing to improve food safety or traceability.
I agree that in the case of tracing the origin of a food-borne illness as a result of eating dodgy eggs, stamping probably won't help. The egg shells on which the stamp appears will have been discarded days previously (especially in the case of restaurants and cafes where most of these problems occur).
But egg stamping will help to solve the egg substitution rort which has been rife for years but probably first came to general notice in Victoria in 2007. There was a very high profile case when a company was fined heaps for labelling eggs as organic when they were from non-organic farms.
In 2012, a NSW barn egg farm was fined for packaging its eggs as free range and a South Australian egg seller was fined for putting cage eggs in free range cartons. In the same year an inspection process in Victoria revealed that a farm was packing and selling eggs from dubious sources interstate and labelling them as free range eggs produced on that Victorian farm. At one stage, more than 70% of the eggs it sold were trucked in – so the business is just a middle-man egg merchant and the farm here was simply window-dressing.
If all eggs are stamped with a unique number which shows the farm on which they were laid, egg substitution will hopefully become a thing of the past.
Consumers may still have to contend with labels which can be misleading, with pictures of hens frolicking on green pasture when the reality is far different.
Accreditation means different things to different people. Consumers rightly expect it to convey a message of credibility about a particular product, but to many businesses it's simply a marketing tool designed to allow them to make claims which increase their profits.
A logo can be a valuable asset if it is trusted by consumers. But it's value is destroyed if it is shown to be meaningless.
Sadly, it has been shown that accreditation bodies often ignore their own standards just to keep members on their books. It's no wonder that consumers don't trust labels – or logos.
As an Environmantal Auditor and a former egg industry auditor, I have seen most of the accreditation systems operating in Australia and while most address particular issues (perhaps food safety or animal welfare) none of them puts it all together in one package. Some came close but then failed when they didn't enforce their own standards. What it means is that accreditation systems are seldom worth the paper they are written on.

Do city Farmers' Markets save Food Miles?

Food transported many miles burns up fossil fuel and contributes to global warming. “Food miles” - the total distance in miles the food item is transported from field to plate - has become accepted as a convenient indicator of sustainability. It has led to a general movement towards local production and local consumption.
Since the 1980's, the annual amount of food moved by heavy goods vehicles has increased by 23 percent with the average distance for each trip also up by 50 percent.
We need to get back to basics and look for local food. The rise in food miles has led to increases in the environmental, social and economic burdens associated with transport. These include carbon dioxide emissions, air pollution, congestion, accidents and noise.
Buying local food is clearly the way to go and Farmers' Markets seem to be springing up everywhere. But is the food sold there really local?
Many stallholders travel for four or five hours to city markets which have become big businesses. Some leave their base on a Friday with enough 'stuff' to sell at three or four markets over a weekend. That can hardly be described as 'local' and it also means that produce which should be kept cool may be outside of any form of temperature control for 48 hours before it is finally sold.
At Freeranger Eggs we have a farm policy which limits us to within one hour of the farm – so we don't do any city markets. The closest we get to Melbourne is The Old Cheese Factory at Berwick (tomorrow) and the McKinnon Farmers' Market on the first Saturday every month.
http://www.sustainablemelbourne.com/research/research-food-miles-in-australia-a-preliminary-study-of-melbourne-victoria/

Ecoeggs wins the Shonkiest of the Shonkies Award

AND THE WINNER IS......
ECO EGGS !

The people have spoken, and the results are in. The CHOICE Shonky Award -  the Shonkiest of the Shonkys for 2013 has been won by Ecoeggs. It won in a landslide victory, with 919 votes

http://www.choice.com.au/shonkyaward.aspx

There are plenty of other egg producers out there (we can't call them farmers) who deserve this too. Maybe next year!

Please don't take any notice of logos or accreditation claims - they are as load of cr.p!! 

Tassie egg rules back-down

It looks like Tasmania's Labor Government will back down on egg laws due to come into force later this month. There was a big public backlash from backyarders and some shopkeepers who didn't like the idea of stamping eggs and having to follow food safety procedures.
Wouldn't have anything to do with the state election looming next March - which the Libs are expected to win???
Details in the Hobart Mercury:
http://www.themercury.com.au/lifestyle/back-flip-on-egg-ban/story-fnj64o9j-1226753815534

Egg stamping and Food Safety Regulations

The recent public fuss in Tasmania about compliance with national standards for egg production is really quite mindless.

There has been the CWA shrieking that it sells 100 dozen eggs a week at one of its stores (using second hand cartons) and why shouldn't it be allowed to keep doing this. Backyarders who sell surplus eggs from their homes or on roadside stalls say they shouldn't be forced to comply with food safety and identification regulations.

What it means of course is that they don't want to comply with the same food safety conditions that all genuine egg farmers are required to meet. How can they think that is fair?

Jan Davis the CEO of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association has no problem with enforcing reasonable food safety standards – for eggs or for anything else. She remains to be convinced that stamping eggs, as is required under the new national standard, is a reasonable response to the level of risk to consumers from contaminated eggs. “But” as she says “that is the national standard, so we have to comply”.

The clamour from some small producers and people supplying market stalls to be exempt from these new regulations is not logical. If the health risks posed by potentially contaminated eggs are such that regulation is deemed to be necessary; then that risk is the same for all eggs, and the same regulations should apply to all egg producers. If some eggs can be exempt, then the regulations are really not necessary for any eggs.

Egg substitution is a significant problem and the stamping of eggs with a farm identification code will help to eliminate that. Many of the eggs sold at markets and roadside stalls are not the produce of the person selling them. They can be bought from dubious sources and passed-off as 'free range'.

Egg producers need a level playing field – otherwise the competition is unfair. Why should some egg sellers be allowed to get away with not following food safety procedures, using second hand cartons, not labelling their cartons and not stamping their eggs to show the origin of the product?

If a shop selling 100 dozen eggs a week is exempt from these regulations, (even if it is a CWA shop) there is no point in introducing the standards at all.

People with chooks who want to give away surplus eggs to neighbours and friends don't need to comply with the standards - but everyone who sells eggs should be required to follow the same processes and procedures as the rest of us.

The stamping of eggs need not involve significant costs. For small producers, hand stampers are readily available. 

Free Range doesn't encourage avian influenza

Comments by Federal Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce that more free range eggs farms will lead to an increase in the incidence of avian influenze are a result of industry hype from Corporate egg producers who want to kill off the genuine free range sector.

The industry had hoped that he would have some empathy for family farms - but he has continued down the same track as his predecessors in supporting big business.

His comments were echoed by industry vet Dr Peter Scott and by Bede Burke, chair of the NSW Farmers Association Egg Group. But just a couple of years ago, Mr Burke agreed with us that intensive 'free range' was  not in the interests of the industry - or chickens.

He is on record as saying that the Coles' drive for more free range eggs was an animal welfare disater in the making.

Mr Burke told the Tamworth City Times in December 2010 that 'profitability on free range farms was being driven down and they would become intensive open-air factories'. He said it was already happening as Coles demanded more  eggs from suppliers.

"It looks all nice and populist for the consumer, but in reality it is encouraging cowboy operations. Coles demand for free range eggs is encouraging Mickey Mouse operations run with too many birds in bad facilities."

That was Bede Burke's stated view then. Recent events have proved he was right. Wonder what happened to get him to sing a different song now?

Anyway, Here's an interview on ABC Radio Country Hour today:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-04/freerange-egg-production-avian-flu/5067410

Australian Egg Corp - 'A Mob of Crooks'

Yesterday the Labor South Australian Government defeated the Liberals Food (Labelling of Free Range Eggs) (No 2) Amendment Bill in the Lower House by just four votes. This was a Truth in Labelling bill which had passed the Upper House with the support of the Greens and Liberals and would have given teeth to the egg labelling issue in that state.
Michael Pengilly, the Liberal Member for Finniss moved the Bill. Here are some of his comments which might give the Australian Egg Corporation and corporate egg producers pause for thought - especially as there is an election looming in SA and the Libs may win Government.
“Quite simply, if the government through the Deputy Premier thinks that standing up and puffing and blowing about some so-called voluntary code is going to fix the issues with free-range egg production, he is having a lend of himself completely. It will not fix it because the Australian Egg Corporation, as far as I am concerned, is nothing much short of a mob of crooks. I have said that before and I will say it again. The whole system is geared towards the huge caged egg producers, and they have never been the issue with genuine free-range egg producers.
The minister in another place really does not understand the issue. Ministers come and go, as do members of parliament; however, I am concerned that free-range egg producers will get ridden over roughshod and that voluntary codes of practice will not work, purely on the weight of numbers. The structure of the Australian Egg Corporation's voting is that the more chooks you have the more votes you get. It is like something out of Communist Russia, quite frankly. It is blatantly ridiculous.
Free-range egg producers are relatively small in number, as opposed to the cage producers—who produce a quality item as well. As I said, that is not the issue, and calling them 'barn eggs' where they can get out of a shed every now and then is one thing but genuine, free-range egg producers or those who choose to limit to 1,500 birds per hectare, should be treated properly. They should be treated properly and not subjected to intimidation, bullying and outright bloody lying from the Australian Egg Corporation. It is foolish and not helpful.” 
This Bill may well be reintroduced if the Liberals gain government there.

$400,000 penalties for false labelling

The Federal Court has ordered Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd and Bartter Enterprises Pty Ltd, the processers and suppliers of Steggles branded chicken products to pay $400,000 in penalties.
It said that the companies engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct when it described on product packaging and in advertising that its meat chickens were ‘free to roam in large barns’.
The Court found that prior to day 42 of a growth cycle that may be up to 56 days the chickens were kept at stocking densities that did not allow them to move around at will.
The Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc (ACMF), the peak industry body for Australia’s chicken meat industry, was also ordered to pay $20,000 in penalties.

http://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/court-orders-chicken-companies-to-pay-400000-for-%E2%80%98free-to-roam%E2%80%99-misleading-claims

Now this is out of the way, hopefully the ACCC and the courts will make a start of some of Australia's intensive egg producers who label their eggs as free range. The industry needs a legal definition of the term 'free range' - not the spin used by the corporate egg producers who control the Australian Egg Corporation.

Bodgy US report on the environmental footprint of egg farms

The US egg industry has released a report which says that egg production today is more efficient than previous decades and leaves a smaller environmental footprint.

Researchers conducted a lifecycle analysis of U.S. egg production from 1960 to 2010 to evaluate environmental performance measures for the complete lifecycle from crops to hens to the farm gate.

It's interesting that this study (funded by the corporate egg industry) does not include the environmental footprint generated by transporting the eggs across the country when the leave the farm.
Details here:
http://www.ans.iastate.edu/EIC/Media/50yrStudy/EggIndustryCenterReportEnv50yrStudy081613FINALWeb.pdf

Choice Shonky Awards

Choice's Shonky Awards for 2013 are out. Ecoeggs was the first finalist announced followed by Dairy Farmers Oats Express, Qantas Frequent Flyer Toolbar, Energy Australia, Credit Repair Australia, EA Games, Nuk and Kleenex Mansize Tissues.

We reckon that Ecoeggs deserves to be the overall winner with the people's choice award because of its consistent and deliberate misrepresentation of its production system. It claims that the eggs in the cartons it sells all over New South Wales and Victoria (and probably other States) are free range when they are in fact produced on on several intensive egg laying facilities in the Port Stephens area.

The industry can do without these claims which are supported by the Australian Egg Corporation.

Everyone can now have their say on who should be the overall winner.
http://www.choice.com.au/.../peoples-choice-vote.aspx

Bird Flu .... Kill the ducks !!

Claims by our new Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, supported by avian veterinarian Dr Peter Scott that the 'free range' egg production system is responsible for the outbreak of Avian Influenza on two farms near Young in New South Wales are asbsurd.

Barnaby Joyce is following in the footsteps of his ministerial predecessors in only listening to the big end of town and Peter Scott is looking after his interests as a consultant to corporate egg producers.

There is little doubt that wild ducks may be a vector in the potential spread of Avian Influenza. As Dr Scott says 1% seem to be shedding the virus. So his solution is ..... shoot the ducks !!!!

In an interview with me by Hilary Harper on ABC 774, I ackowledged that the risk of avian flu in free range birds is an issue, but the main problem is on intensive so-called free range farms in Australia. It helps to not have a dam on the farm, to reduce the possibility of water fowl coming into contact with chickens.
 
How about planning a farm which does not encourage ducks?  Dams should not be permitted on free range egg farms. Or at least there should be distance limits imposed on their proximity to sheds and grazing areas.

If wild ducks are not encouraged to visit, most of them probably won't bother. For those that do, Maremma dogs with each flock will generally chase them away as they see large birds as predators.

Holding ponds need to be installed on the massive intensive farms which the industry has set up, because the potential nutrient run-off is devasting for our waterways and neighbouring properties.

What Dr Scott knows is that each hen produces around half a cubic metre of manure a year. So at a stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare that's 5000 cubic metres of chook poo per year on every hectare. That is totally unsustainable. But worse - the Australian Egg Corporation wanted to allow a stocking density of 20,000 hens per hectare, doubling the nutrient load to 10,000 cubic metres a year! What a crock.

The issue here is that intensive egg production facilities should not be classified as free range. Any farm which runs more than 1500 hens per hectare (and that is an absolute maximum) should not be classified as free range.

There are plenty of names they can use  - Cage Free, Barn Laid or whatever -  but Free Range should be left alone for those of us who meet consumer expectations.

Obviously it is cheaper to produce eggs on an intensive farm with 400,000 hens than on a free range farm with 2000 hens. If the cartons are properly labelled and customers understand what they are buying and choose the intensive system - that's fine.

But I think it's a total con for intensive farms to be allowed to label their eggs as free range when they are running huge numbers of hens, the hens are beak trimmed, they are using meat meal derived from poultry and additives to enhance yolk colour.

There's no question that intensive poultry farms are the problem and it is irresponsible for the Federal Minister for Agriculture to turn his back on family farms and push the barrow of the corporate egg industry. Of course he won't acknowledge that he was wrong - he will just plough on.

An investigation needs to be completed into how the outbreak started in Young and how it spread before there are any knee-jerk reactions from politicians or industry heavyweights. Research also needs to be conducted into the health issues associated with intensive animal husbandry and the adviseability of multiple production systems on an egg farm.

The call to kill the ducks as a solution to a problem generated by corporate greed makes as much sense as the badger cull in England ostensibly to reduce the incidence of bovine TB.

Senior lecturer in animal behaviour and welfare in the school of animal and veterinary sciences at Charles Sturt University, Doctor Rafael Freire thinks claims that free range egg production will encourage more bird flu outbreaks is a "bit of a stretch".

"There's a few studies on transmission to domestic populations of poultry in Europe and the evidence doesn't seem to suggest that that's a very big risk," he said. "You have to just think of it in the big scheme of things. It's transmitted to any bird that's flying around outside and of course there are millions.

"And we know very well that even birds in cages can be infected by bird flu because wild birds fly into the shed."

As a result of the Avian Influenza outbreaks we have beefed up the biosecurity segment of our workshop on starting a free range farm. It has always been an issue but the recent incidents have demonstrated that every farm needs to take the problem seriously.

Biosecurity on free range farms

Following the Avian Flu outbreak at a major poultry farm in Young, NSW, we've had a number of enquiries about the issue of biosecurity on free range farms. All hens on that farm have now been culled, but there has been a second outbreak on a nearby farm.

Clearly all farms should address biosecurity issues in conjunction with their Quality Assurance and Food Safety programmes - but some don't. Until an enquiry has been completed into how this outbreak (or outbreaks) started, no-one knows why this happened.

Intensive farming always generates potential for rampant disease outbreaks but until the dust settles, no-one should be pointing fingers.

We have amended our Biosecurity and Poultry Disease Risk Management paper which is available on the download page of the Freeranger website and we will be including more biosecurity info in our workshops.

It's disappointing (but not surprising) that the new Federal Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce chose to buy into the issue saying that free range farming is to blame. An investigation into how the outbreaks started needs to be conducted before blame can be attributed.

Here's a Youtube video which is useful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijE9bszf64&feature=player_embedded

Free Range Farmers Association still can't face reality

The Free Range Farmers Association Secretary didn't like my statement that the Association is in meltdown and as you can see from her earlier response – she says that my comments “will be forwarded to our legal representation for further action.”

She complains that my comments constitute 'bullying' which is a bit rich coming from a committee which has been expert at attempting to intimidate and control members. Anyway, I will be more than happy to deal with these issues in court if that is their choice.

The word 'Meltdown' appears to have particularly got up her nose but what better word could describe an organisation with this record:

Membership of the Free Range Farmers Association has fallen dramatically following committee decisions in 2012 and 2013 not to uphold the Association's standards relating to the use of colouring additives in poultry feed and packing eggs from non-accredited sources.

Former FRFA Secretary Tania Murray resigned in April 2013

Former President and FRFA Accreditation Officer Graeme Barwise resigned from the Association in May 2013, following false allegations by the acting secretary that he had no hens on his farm. She repeated that false claim in a formal complaint to the Victorian Farmers Markets Association about the Free As A Bird farm at Tooradin. Following an investigation, the complaint was shown to be unfounded.

Former President and Accreditation Officer Philip Westwood did not renew his FRFA membership at the end of June 2013 – so ceased to be a member at that time. Committee members made false and defamatory allegations about him to other members and outside organisations but were unable to produce a shred of evidence.

Former President Anne Westwood did not renew her FRFA membership at the end of June 2013 – so ceased to be a member at that time.

Former Treasurer and Committee member Phillip Ledin resigned in July 2013

Treasurer Marnie Ellis resigned in July 2013

Former President Dan Green failed to renew his membership for 2013 – 14.

Committee Member Paula Jones chose not to renew her membership

A number of FRFA members have also chosen not to renew their membership for 2013 – 14 as no member benefits were provided by the previous committee.

The FRFA year ends on June 30, and the Model Rules adopted by the Association require membership fees to be paid in advance prior to July 1 each year. The committee failed to send out membership renewals prior to the year end and membership fees had not been paid before the annual meeting which was hurriedly called on August 12, 2013. Only some 'members' were advised when the annual meeting was to be held. Annual accounts were not circulated and proper notice of the 2013 Annual General Meeting was not sent to all members – in fact the Association had no members at that time as the fees had not been paid.

Minutes of the AGM have not been circulated and members have not been advised who is currently on the committee.

'Meltdown' seems to be an apt description of the current state of the Free Range Farmers Association. The actions of the committee brought the Association into disrepute.
I rest my case!!!

No 'Free Range' voice in Victoria

It's very sad that In Victoria there is no longer a voice for the free range egg industry. The Free Range Farmers Association Inc. appears to be in complete meltdown. Following very dodgy events over the past 12 months the Association has lost four former presidents, two former treasurers and two former secretaries. It is understood that several 'ordinary members' have not renewed their membership as a result of the scandalous behaviour of the committee - but their names still appear as 'members' on the FRFA website. What is the association trying to hide?
The industry deserves better than this but the current President, Dianne Moore and Secretary, Jessica Luketic refuse to recognise the problems they have created.
At a time when Woolworths and Coles have taken on the issue of stocking density standards for 'free range' eggs it's hard to believe that these people have been so prepared to destroy a strong industry voice. Sure, there are animal welfare groups out there making some of the running, but the egg industry deserves its own voice.

Next workshop on starting a free range egg farm

The next workshop on starting a free range egg farm is planned to be at the Freeranger farm here in Grantville on Sunday November 24, 2pm - 4.30. The next one after that probably won't be until May 2014.
Here's a link to the Fair Food Week website in August (which was when we ran the last workshop). The format will be similar but we will add more detail about biosecurity issues on free range farms.

http://fairfoodweek.org.au/event/starting-a-free-range-egg-farm/
The cost is $40 per person which includes our eBook. Payment can either be made by cheque, direct debit into our bank account or via Paypal. Check out the products page on the Freeranger website for banking details.

Avian flu outbreak may cause an industry re-think

The sheer scale of the outbreak of avian influenza on a 400,000 hen egg farm at Young in NSW is sending shockwaves through the industry.

It is supposedly a 'state of the art' farm with an intensive free range operation mixed with cage layer sheds.

Once the dust has settled and investigations into how the outbreak started, and why internal biosecurity measures did not stop the disease from spreading to the hens in cages the industry needs to take a good hard look at itself.

Are these massive farms with intensive production systems the great idea that corporate egg farms say they are? Is is sensible to have such large numbers of hens (or any animals) in such a small space? Are there specific problems with multiple production systems on one farm, intensive free range as well as barn or cage operations?

Free range website for consumers

Here's a great website for consumers which has been developed by the British Free Range Egg Producers Association.
http://www.lovefreerangeeggs.co.uk/

It's a great pity that we don't have an organisation like that here. If our free range associations hadn't gone off the rails, maybe we could have got there. Too late now.

High-tech free range - or consumer con?

I found it interesting that on the day we were running our Open Day to show consumers what real free range egg farming is all about, the Launceston Examinar ran an articles about Pure Foods so-called 'free range' operation at Longford.

Each of their sheds houses about 14,500 hens that are free to roam the shed and are 'allowed' to go outside once they have laid.

The indoor area has covered nesting boxes, a food chain that dishes out food eight times a day, and a number of perches above a manure belt that is unloaded twice a week. The sheds have computer controlled lights, temperature, humidity, feed, water and openings to the outdoors.

Pure Foods is hoping for Government funding to build more of the same !!!!!!!

Read the full story here:

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/1837100/high-tech-home-for-chickens/?cs=94