THE expression ‘run around like a headless chook’, meaning to be very busy doing a lot of things but not effectively, is one saying that even the most organised person can relate to at one time or another.
Producers, even those with staff, are faced with a constant pressure to meet the requirements of the day and the ‘extras’ that have to be done at some stage to keep the business running. At times we feel we are like the first part of the Little Red Hen’s story where the producer is doing the heavy lifting of raising day-old chicks, providing eggs and having planned the next flock coming with no help, only to have outside players (retailers and government) acting like the Little Red Hen’s friends, not willing to help.
Producers can either be in a state such as Chicken Little running around like the sky is falling, or, through support of Egg Farmers of Australia, assist in building relationships, working with one another at an industry body level to provide information from producer level through to EFA for better industry outcomes. The importance of membership and participation cannot be understated.
Just like Chicken Little, even if we get knock backs we need to continue to put information forwards so more people understand egg production. Every person we speak to, either individually or as an industry body, will have a better understanding of the challenges industry faces, and more importantly, what we are doing about these challenges.
We are faced with an ever-increasing risk of disease.
In the biosecurity space, we need to plan for the future. Egg Farmers of Australia has been involved in meeting agencies who manage outbreaks so industry has a voice. We continue to engage on the Standards and Guidelines process. A meeting was chaired by the Federal Agriculture Minister and attended by Agricultural Ministers on October 25 to consider moving the process forward.
Egg Farmers of Australia’s annual general meeting is coming up in November and I encourage members who are in a position to attend to see how you can get involved. I thank those who have paid membership and levies to ensure our organisation can have the opportunity to put industry’s case forward on a range of issues. In any group there are a range of personalities and each of us has strength.
We can contribute through our strengths and as a group each person can contribute their expertise and experience to provide a viewpoint or insightful information. We can all contribute in some way. If you were a chicken in the pecking order, what would you be? Are you a leader; have excellent attention to detail; a veteran of the industry with historical knowledge; new kid on the block learning from others; are able to bring people together; or stand strong to ensure the gains of the industry over many years are not eroded.
Please consider how you can be more involved by supporting your state director and how they can support you. Thank you to those who have taken the time to speak with me about your business and challenges. If you have not received a copy of the Egg News – the monthly Egg Farmers of Australia publication – please email info@egg farmersaustralia.org