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Concern over Coles too low prices for cage-free eggs
COLES’ recent move in Western Australia to axe caged egg sales and sell home-brand barn eggs for $3 a dozen is very concerning as it’s hard to see how they
could be produced at that price, according to WA agriculture minis- ter Alannah MacTier- nan.
“Decisions by retailers as to what eggs they sell,
such as the decision by Coles to bring forward its phase-out of caged eggs from all stores in Western Australia, pre- sumably reflects their assessment of consumer sentiment,” Ms MacTier- nan said.
“It is difficult to see how it is possible for a producer to provide cage- free eggs at that price.
“I will add that one thing that concerned me about the decision by Coles is the marketing of $3 cage-free eggs,” she said.
With a retail price of $3 a dozen, Coles’ cage-free barn eggs in WA stores
are notably cheaper than both caged and cage-free eggs being sold by in oth- er states.
Despite the removal of caged eggs in Western Australian stores Coles has not removed caged eggs from the shelves in any other state.
However, Coles has stated caged eggs would be phased out by 2023.
Caged eggs, which are cheaper to produce than barn eggs, cost at least $3.35 a dozen in Coles’ stores in other states.
Nationals WA agricul- ture spokesman Colin de Grussa recently wrote to all major supermarkets expressing the concerns of egg producers’ ability to negotiate on price.
The correspondence requested information about how supermarkets determined prices, in- cluding what considera- tion there are for external factors, such as higher feed costs.
Egg producers faced similar circumstances to the dairy industry in that they were being crippled by high feed prices while being paid poorly by su- permarkets, said Mr de Grussa.
Considering the current situation, Ms MacTiernan has offered the Commer- cial Egg Producers As- sociation of WA fund- ing for an independent assessment into the cost of producing cage-free eggs.
Women in Poultry: Jonna May Hernandez
☛ from P4
jobs in the farm, I find it can be more difficult as a woman.
What advice would you give to women looking to start a ca- reer in poultry?
The poultry business is not an easy business for women, especially since a lot of the work is physical and labour intensive.
However, women are naturally patient, which makes us most effective in getting down to the nitty gritty of the business.
Women’s instincts also play an important role in the poultry in- dustry.
Women are naturally caring and compassionate which is a great advantage in animal husbandry.
Women should not be demotivated by the challenges in this indus- try but must focus on what can be done and what should be done.
Our physical attrib- utes should not be a hindrance, nor should they be the basis of our abilities to succeed. What would be your dream role in poul- try?
Being the game changer in the indus- try is my dream role in poultry.
There is still room to make improvements in the poultry industry in the Philippines.
What outstanding challenge facing the poultry industry would you most like to solve?
In the Philippines’ market, pricing and sea- sonal demand are the most challenging in the poultry industry.
Without regulated farm-gate pricing, small-to-medium enter- prise growers are criti- cally affected because of economies of scale.
Moreover, the Philip- pines’ agriculture sector is not technologically advanced in terms of farm management.
For poultry farm growers, it is very chal- lenging to remotely monitor the entire op- eration of the farm, and this is mostly due to a lack of technical kno- whow.
Therefore, I think creating a software ap- plication designed spe- cifically for poultry management would be
most valuable but, most importantly, it must be affordable.
How has your re- lationship with
the poultry sector evolved?
The poultry sector in our area or in the Philippines in general is not strong enough compared to neighbour- ing countries because the government is more focused on crop-related products.
How do you incorpo- rate sustainable (ethi- cal, environmental, economic) best prac- tices into your day-to- day routine?
Though not yet com- pletely implemented, we try to follow an integrated farming ap- proach.
One example is by us- ing the manure waste as an organic fertiliser for our banana plants on the farm.
We also treat the waste so that it does not pollute the environ- ment.
Additionally, we are committed to treating our poultry well and working to maintain their health by keeping conditions optimum for
their well-being.
How do you feel about on-farm technology, either current or yet to be developed?
On-farm technology would be a great solu- tion for efficient farm- ing.
The only concern for automation is the cost involved for procuring this technology.
In first-world coun- tries, on-farm technol- ogy or developing that technology is very im- portant and it is also widely used due to high labour cost and weather situations.
That is not the case here in the Philippines, and I would definitely welcome such solutions. What are the most memorable experi- ences you have had during your career in poultry?
The most memorable experience was when the Department of En- vironmental and Natu- ral Resources chose our farm to be awarded as their Setup Integrator by the DENR’s sec- retary and the Philip- pine president during National Science and Technology Week.
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National Poultry Newspaper, September 2019 – Page 5