Page 8 - National Poultry Newspaper

Dr Meagan Craven wins 2020 Minister’s Award
DR Meagan Craven has been recognised at this year’s Science and Innovation Awards in Canberra for her trail- blazing research that could help shield lay- ing hens from salmo- nella.
Minister for Agricul- ture David Littleproud announced Dr Craven as the winner of the Minister’s Award for 2020 at the recent AB- ARES Outlook dinner.
“Dr Craven is lead- ing important re-
search that could re- duce the growth of multiple strains of salmonella enteritidis in the guts of laying hens,” Minister Lit- tleproud said.
“SE is a pathogen in humans and can cause serious illness.
“Judges agreed it’s an innovative and ambitious project ad- dressing a growing problem for the poul- try sector, with re- search outcomes that may be transferable to
other sectors.
“I’m delighted to
announce Dr Craven as the winner of the Minister’s Award for 2020.”
The Science and In- novation Awards are a great example of har- nessing the new ideas and new approaches from younger mem- bers of the sector.
“The range of pro- jects presented, and the creative approach- es to looking at in- dustry issues, reminds me yet again of what a privilege it is to be Minister of such a di- verse sector,” Minister Littleproud said.
“It was a difficult challenge to select one of the extended research projects submitted by the winners tonight to receive the Minister’s Award and additional grant funding.
“I congratulate all winners and nominees. “It is fantastic to see so many young people who have a passion for our agriculture sector.” For more details about Dr Craven’s pro- ject ‘Development of a culture system that simulates the gut mi- crobiome for identi- fying effective novel antimicrobials’, visit agriculture.gov.au/ abares/conferences- events/scienceawards
Dr Meagan Craven received the 2020 Minster’s Award from Agricultural Minister David Littleproud.
Photo: Etienne Girardet
Metro Group is going cage free
METRO Group, one of the largest retailers in the world, has commit- ted to improve animal welfare across its sup- ply chain by sourcing all its egg products from cage free suppli- ers, including in the most challenging mar- kets around the world.
Stores in western and southern Europe will meet the deadline by 2022, with eastern Eu- rope, including Russia and Ukraine, follow- ing suit in 2025.
The transition to us- ing only cage free eggs will occur in Metro’s remaining markets, which includes China,
by the year 2027. Metro’s decision is
part of a bigger global shift in egg production now that more busi- nesses produce cage free.
It has been hailed by animal protection groups around the world including Open Cages UK, which cam- paigns on the subject as part of the Open Wing Alliance – a global coalition of groups working to free hens from cages.
Metro has joined the long list of large companies that have made commitments to source exclusively
cage free eggs, such as Nestle, PepsiCo, Hilton, Unilever and Kraft-Heinz.
Across Europe, this means hundreds of Metro stores will now transition to only sell- ing cage free eggs, which will impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of hens.
Hens that will now be able to enjoy more space, dust bathe and stretch their wings freely.
Open Cages UK CEO Connor Jackson said, “With this strong pol- icy, Metro is cement- ing its spot as one of the most progressive
companies out there when it comes to ani- mal welfare.”
“We applaud the company for listening to its consumers and making a choice that will improve the lives of millions of hens around the world.
“We encourage all other companies that do not yet have a cage free policy to follow Metro’s lead.”
Metro is a large global wholesale com- pany focusing on the hospitality and trader groups with reported sales of $A45 billion.
Page 8 – National Poultry Newspaper, March 2020
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