We are frequently asked what the term ‘freerange eggs’ actually means. Well the answer was simple before politicians colluded with big producers to con consumers. Politicians were asked to change the regulations to protect big producers from legal action by the ACCC which had won a series of prosecutions for mislabelling eggs in breach of consumer laws. Each of the companies increased annual profits by millions of dollars just by adding the words free range to their cartons, so many regarded the fines as simply a cost of doing business. However, the industry had a wake-up call when one shonky operator was hit with $1 million in fines and costs.
Development of the Model
Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry 4th
Edition
The
Code was approved by the Primary Industries Ministerial Council and
printed in 2002, It was a development of an earlier version of the
Model Code. Egg farmers realised it was essential for the free range
sector of the egg industry to ensure that intensive production
standards were not adopted in place of the extensive requirements of
the previous code. There has been no science behind high density
free range proposals (other than the certainty of increased profits.
No scientific review of production processes was undertaken to
demonstrate that the standards contained within the voluntary Model
Code were no longer applicable to the industry. The stocking density
of 1500 hens per hectare for free range hens was developed by
applying well established principles of agronomy. The issue of the
upper limit on the long term stocking rate was debated strongly at
the time, following pressure from local Councils and the EPA about
how some farms were operating. Experience was taken into account of
people who had farmed free range layers in the 1950’s and 60’s,
when all egg production was based on free range principles. Hens were
often run under citrus trees It was recognised that for an operation
to be sustainable, the stocking rate had to be low – less than 300
birds/acre (750/hectare). It was agreed that such a system should be
regarded as Free Range egg production and the hens were to have
access to the range during daylight hours. There was some dispute by
new entrants to the industry who believed that they could design
pasture rotation systems around their sheds that would allow higher
rates. So it was decided to take an empirical approach and work out
what the maximum stocking rate could be to avoid the measurable
negative impacts of nutrient run off and soil degradation and still
be theoretically possible to maintain pasture cover and avoid the
issue of dust. Some argued that as most hens were in sheds at night
and may be locked in for part of the day so that only a portion of
the hens actually entered the range area at any one time, the impact
was lessened. The dairy industry was very big at that time and local
agronomists had data on the effects of applying very high rates of
poultry manure on irrigated pasture. The agronomists studied the data
on the maximum nutrient uptake a well maintained irrigated pasture
could support and also avoid the problems of salinity build up
observed in the dairy pastures. The stocking rate was calculated and
a stocking density of up to 600 birds/acre (1500/hectare) was
regarded as the maximum possible for long term sustainability. At the
time the Code was approved, it was accepted that to maintain consumer
credibility, visitors or passers-by had to see the birds out and
about on the range. It was also accepted that there is no valid
animal management need to lock in the layers in the morning or during
inclement weather. But corporate egg producers, the Australian Egg
Corporation and major supermarkets demanded political changes to
allow eggs produced in intensive systems to be labelled as free
range. The words were simply regarded as a marketing term to increase
profits without involving extra work or costs. Supermarkets demanded
high volumes of eggs which could not be supplied by traditional free
range methods and big producers saw the opportunity to cash in on
consumer demand Politicians complied and approved a freerange
definition permitting hens to be kept at a density of 10,000 birds
per hectare.A laying hen produces half a cubic metre of manure a year. So with a
stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare, Animal health and land sustainability are at risk as farmers who follow the advice
will see their land covered with 5000 cubic metres of manure per
hectare every year.
As
chicken manure
has the highest amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium of all manures, it can render the land useless for farming
within a few years. Contamination of groundwater and water courses will also result. Set up your own genuine freerange farm with help of our eBook.