ABOVE: The author’s message is clear, the current disease outbreak serves to highlight that, by losing conventional caged production in the marketplace, Australia is exposed to a reduction in production capacity.
Following the impact of the current outbreak of avian influenza in Victoria, Egg Farmers of Australia has reached out to its members whose farms have been impacted.
We aim to assist our members in any way we can through the response period being driven by Agriculture Victoria.
During such incidents, poultry vet Dr Peter Scott, Australian Eggs managing director Rowan McMonnies and myself as Egg Farmers of Australia chief executive officer attend government and industry meetings overseen by Animal Health Australia, which plays an important role in guiding those in the egg sector affected by such outbreaks.
Thanks also to Heather McKimm for her job as liaison to the livestock industry.
Having done the role, I appreciate the time being put in to supporting our sector.
Further updates on the current situation are available on the Agriculture Victoria website.
This event has seen a commonsense approach from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in relation to the granting of a housing order.
This means the eggs from free range hens that have been ordered inside barns during the disease period can still be labelled ‘free range’ for a set length of time.
EFA is very appreciative of ACCC agriculture commissioner Mick Keogh and the work his staff have undertaken in supporting our industry during this difficult time.
Though all egg farming systems can be impacted by avian influenza, the current outbreak has included cage facilities with free range farms nearby.
Free range are at a higher risk due to the impact of wild birds.
Australia’s major supermarkets turned their backs on cage egg production – citing animal welfare issues.
As a result, they now rely heavily on the supply of free range eggs.
In light of the Victorian issue, it was noted that Coles announced limiting the number of eggs their customers could purchase.
Though there is no shortage at this time – with it being publicly reported that the impact is 4 percent of the total egg production from over 20 million birds.
This is exactly the discussion that industry raised around the risk of reducing production systems and supermarkets putting all their eggs in the one basket.
It is now timely to reflect on the decision of the supermarket giants to phase out the sale of cage eggs by 2025.
This was backed by animal welfare activists, who once pushed for free range to be the only option for Australian egg sales.
After major scares in the European free range market, which recorded huge hen losses due to disease, we have seen non-industry stakeholders back pedal and re-market free range eggs as simply being ‘cage free’.
The issue of cage, barn and free range in supermarkets was raised during the review into the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry.
Various state governments are still yet to decide on the timing of any phase out of conventional cages.
The current disease outbreak only serves to highlight that, by losing conventional caged production in the marketplace, Australia is now exposed to a reduction in production capacity of up to 25 percent per egg-laying shed.
EFA has raised this time and again with various governments, yet it has been ignored.
Working through the disease response that we currently have in Victoria does not come free.
Together, the egg industry, other poultry signatories and various governments continue to pay for the impact of such responses as endorsers of the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement.
On a more positive note, it was refreshing to learn that egg farmers previously impacted by avian influenza have reached out to offer guidance and moral support to those farmers in Victoria now experiencing the destruction of their hens.
It is hoped that a new insurance product offered by one rural insurance broker – which provides cover for AI and salmonella enteritidis outbreaks in Australia – may soon go some way to assist farmers impacted by future incidents.
Click here for the Agriculture Victoria updates on the current avian influenza situation.