Finally we know what free range eggs are or do we?

OK, so we see eggs in the supermarket labelled as “free range”, but what does this actually mean?

There has been an argument going on for quite a few years on what this tem means in Australia.

Well we now know.

The Consumer Affairs Ministers from across all levels of government across the country have finally set the definition.

“Free range” eggs will now only be permitted to be labelled as such if there are no more than 10000 birds per hectare and these birds have “meaningful access” to open space.

The labelling must also clearly show the number of birds per hectare.

With all controversial issues, there will always be those happy with the decision and those who are not.

In this case, CHOICE is leading the group who are not satisfied. It was supporting the CSIRO Model Code recommending a maximum of 1500 birds per hectare

CHOICE spokesperson Tom Godfrey said; “These new rules fail the common sense test. All you need to do is look at egg cartons labelled free-range in any major supermarket to see how these products are marketed to Australians, with pictures of chickens outside. Eggs that come from hens that don’t go outside and have high stocking densities don’t meet consumers’ expectations and don’t deserve the free-range label. Because of this, we are calling on consumers to boycott bad eggs that have an outdoor stocking density of up to 10,000 hens per hectare.”

So, expect to see further action on this issue. Even though a decision
has finally been made there made still be a change.