Image courtesy 401(K) 2013
As a foodie I care about the source and quality of the produce I use. As a result, free-range eggs are a must for me. They are not only better for the animals, they have better yolk and white qualities and most importantly they taste better.
Well, it's about to become a whole lot harder to buy true free-range eggs. In Australia, free-range eggs are defined by the voluntary Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Domestic Poultry. Currently this limits bird densities to 1,500 per hectare (1500 per 10,000m2). This is about 1/7 bird per 1m2 (or 1 bird per 7m2).
The Queensland Government has moved to change this figure to 10,000 birds per square meter. And it looks like the the ACCC might have something to say about these changes too if their concerns about Coles are anything to go on.
In 2010 the Australian Egg Corporation considered changing the definition for free-range eggs to allow farms to go from the current 1,500 birds per hectare to 20,000 birds per hectare (2 birds per 1m2). The ACCC were very much involved then too.
There's a campaign supported by Choice that sends an email to areas of the QLD Gov't asking them to revoke the changes.
I'm sure personalised emails have stronger weight, but numbers also matter. So if you feel you don't have the time, using the template will also help.
