Author Archives: Ch00ky

Groundbreaking process transforms eggs

ABOVE: Being cold smoked, the eggs remain raw, but the process eliminates bacteria. A good wedding anniversary present can be hard to find, but when Julie Kos bought her husband Paul a smoker as a gift, they had no idea how life-changing it would be. They started smoking everything and, as egg farmers, they gave…

Let’s cull cruel culling of male chicks

ABOVE: Happy hens. Hatched as hens, these Hyline Brown free range hens at Fremantle Egg Company enjoy the good life, laying for about 70 weeks before being turned over. Males hatched at the same time would have been killed. Having advocated in my past two columns for the lives of roosters and cockerels, this month…

Hen nutrition research to reduce Australian egg industry footprint

ABOVE: New research may help egg farmers further reduce their environmental impact through the diet formulations they feed their hens. With one of the lowest carbon footprints of any animal protein, Australian consumers can already feel good about buying and eating eggs. New research into the nutritional strategies of layer hens conducted by the University…

Eight-part alternative energy series spurs Aussie rural industries to switch

ABOVE: To reach Australia’s net zero goal by 2050, overcoming initial constraints in the growing alternative energy market will be key to change. The estimated annual cost of energy is already approximately $5.85 billion for the Australian agricultural sector, but this is set to soar as electricity prices double by 2024, according to a recent…

Frozen chicken in air fryer increases salmonella risk

ABOVE: Products may appear cooked but contain raw poultry. Cooking breaded frozen chicken products in the air fryer, microwave or toaster oven won’t protect consumers against foodborne illnesses such as salmonella. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned on December 2: “Frozen stuffed chicken products remain a source of salmonella outbreaks despite changes to packaging…

Environmental impacts of chicken meat production

ABOVE: The majority of impacts arise from feed production, chicken meat processing and the grow-out phase for the birds. The following was taken from the CSIRO research paper by MA Copley and SG Wiedemann from Integrity Ag and Environment and can be read in full at publish.csiro.au/an/pdf/AN22230 The environmental sustainability of industries and food products…

Sixth EggTrack highlights global cage-free progress

ABOVE: Danone successfully achieved 100 percent cage-free production throughout its global business and provides the foreword for the EggTrack report. More companies are making global cage-free egg commitments, according to the sixth annual EggTrack report by Compassion in World Farming released recently. Compassion in World Farming is the leading international farm animal welfare charity, campaigning…