Page 6 - National Poultry Newspaper

National voice for QLD egg producers
Queensland United Egg Producers
QUEENSLAND United Egg Produc- ers Pty Ltd represents the interests of the majority of egg pro- duction in Queens- land across all pro- duction systems.
Members are located from north Queens- land’s Atherton Table- lands down the coast to Townsville, Rock- hampton, Hervey Bay, the Sunshine Coast, regional Brisbane and the Darling Downs.
QUEP provides a voice for egg produc- ers to be better en- gaged with regulators and their ministers, and through QUEP’s supply of a director to sit on the Egg Farmers of Australia Board, al- so aligns Queensland with a national repre- sentative platform.
QUEP holds mem- bership with Queens- land Farmers’ Federa- tion to provide mem- bers a collective voice with other intensive livestock industries.
QFF is working on issues across many agricultural practices including power costs, water and development and planning approv- als to name a few.
As CEO of QUEP, I encourage any egg pro- ducer to contact me to discuss the benefits and costs of membership.
Currently members are represented on a number of government and industry teams
dealing with a range of issues including safe food production, hen biosecurity and the development of new regulations around the various production systems and the for- mulation of the new standards and guide- lines set to replace the current Model Code of Practice for the Wel- fare of Poultry.
While not an egg farmer myself, I have had more than 40 years’ experience across animal production and the regu- lations imposed on farm- ing and food processing.
As egg farming faces the increasing atten- tion of animal activ- ists, there has never been a more important time to consider be- coming a QUEP mem- ber, providing you and your business a portal in the development of new standards and regulations.
Having a collective voice is what QUEP needs when talking on industry’s behalf.
QUEP endorses the production and monthly release of Na- tional Poultry News- paper and wishes all involved in its launch the very best.
It will provide the industry a valuable source of informa- tion and connectivity, whether cage, barn or free range egg farms or support businesses.
by JOHN COWARD CEO
New free range egg laws have come into effect
FOR years consumers buying free range eggs have been left confused by standards not neces- sarily clear or easy to understand.
But now that’s changed.
Since Thursday, April 27, all free range egg producers in Australia are now bound by a new information standard, applied under Australian Consumer Law.
It’s an enforceable pol- icy, meaning the Aus- tralian Competition and Consumer Commission can prosecute producers who break the rules.
But what’s in the new standard, and what does it mean for consumers?
Here’s what you need to know.
Free range has to
mean free range
Essentially, the new rules are aimed at making free range egg producers live up to their label.
Hens must have “mean- ingful and regular ac- cess” to an outdoor range during daylight hours,
and be free to roam and forage outside.
There’s also a maximum stocking density, which dictates how many hens are allowed per square metre of outdoor space.
Egg producers can run a maximum of 10,000 hens per hectare of land in order to be accredited as ‘free range’ – that’s the equivalent of one hen per square metre.
Producers must also ‘prominently state’ their stocking density on egg cartons.
Unpackaged eggs, like those sold at farmers’ markets, must be ac- companied by signage with the stocking density printed on it.
How does the new stocking density stack up internationally?
The 10,000 hens per hectare allowance is higher than that already used by some produc- ers, and will allow more birds to be farmed per square metre.
It’s also much higher
than stocking densities proposed by the Primary Industries Ministerial Council model code of practice, published by the CSIRO, which rec- ommends just 1500 hens per hectare.
That figure has the backing of the RSPCA, who say the density figure could be raised to 2500 hens in rotational systems.
Overseas, standards vary for egg producers.
In the US for instance, ‘free range’ simply means hens have access to the outdoors.
In Europe, however, there is a maximum out- door stocking density of 2500 hens per hectare, with some exceptions. Do producers have to do anything else to comply with the new rules?
Images, as well as words, will be taken into account when producers are marketing their eggs.
If a producer uses a picture that implies their eggs are free range when they’re not, they could
be prosecuted for mis- leading and deceptive conduct.
The ACCC says it’s monitoring the mar-
ket and will take action against any producers who make untruthful or inaccurate claims about their eggs.
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Page 6 – National Poultry Newspaper, May 2018
www.poultrynews.com.au