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Queensland United Egg Producers notice of AGM
QUEENSLAND Unit- ed Egg Producers will hold its Annual Gen- eral Meeting on Fri- day October 28, 2022.
small in operation size – all are welcome.
helps the egg industry align with other agri- culture bodies, includ- ing pork and dairy.
A Microsoft ‘Teams’ meeting invite will be forwarded to all cur- rent members with an agenda and meeting papers.
Currently the indus- try is being impacted by market pressures, labour shortages and increased input costs, not to mention the sig- nificant impacts of the impending standards and guidelines cover- ing animal welfare.
The support and ser- vice provides members a conduit to government departments, including Biosecurity Queens- land and SafeFood Production Queens- land, the Department of Agriculture and Fisher- ies and the responsible ministers.
QUEP encourages any Queensland egg producers to join and receive the support of a dedicated and inde- pendent chief executive officer, John Coward, who advocates on be- half of all members across all production systems.
As such, the value of being a producer mem- ber of QUEP has never been more important in order for your issues to be presented to the relative authorities.
For more details on joining QUEP and its membership, contact CEO John Coward on 0407 622 166 or email john.coward1@gmail. com
Whether cage, free range, barn, large or
QUEP is also a mem- ber of Queensland Farmers Federation, which provides over- arching support and
JohnCoward CEOQUEP
Page 8 – National Poultry Newspaper, October 2022
RSPCA
Turkeys – along with chickens and ducks – are one of All meat chickens are to have access to quality litter the poultry species most commonly farmed in Australia to encourage natural pecking, foraging and scratching for food. Photo: Mikkel Bergmann behaviours. Photo: Henrique S Ruzzon
Better welfare in sight for poultry
AFTER seven long years in development, Aus- tralia’s poultry standards and guidelines docu- ment has been published and includes some wel- come – and long over- due – recommendations for improvements to the welfare of hundreds of millions of birds.
isters and ideally, will un- derpin state and territory legislation on the farming of poultry.
fined to in Australia – but there have also been some important albeit small wins for turkeys, ducks and meat chickens.
tivity and rest, as well as ventilation and tempera- ture requirements in barn.
The standards are yet to be endorsed by state and territory agriculture min-
Readers may have seen the recent statements by RSPCA focused on ac- knowledging the con- firmed phase out date for battery cages – which 5 million layer hens are con-
Smart and curious, tur- keys – along with chickens and ducks – are one of the poultry species most com- monly farmed in Australia for food.
These new recom- mended improvements on farm could be a meaning- ful shift in moving meat chicken farming practices in closer alignment with the RSPCA’s standards, which focus on evidence- based improvements to animal welfare.
If endorsed, the stand- ards will replace the cur- rent voluntary model code.
Here are a few key take- outs from the standards and what they could mean for our feathered friends. Better conditions for turkeys
The minimum legal space allowance has also been increased to allow for chickens’ growth rate to ensure that as they grow bigger, they still have ad- equate space to flap their wings and move freely.
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As for chickens, turkeys are curious about the world around them and need dif- ferent forms of enrichment to keep their minds active.
But clucky chooks still need your help
Under the revised stand- ards and guidelines, tur- keys must now be pro- vided with perches and platforms and objects to peck at, as well as environ- mental enrichment such as foraging materials and covers for hiding.
An end to battery cages is in sight, with the na- tional poultry standards and guidelines calling for a phase out of all battery cages across Australia by no later than 2036.
Improvements to shed lighting regimes have also been advised, which if en- dorsed could give turkeys proper rest periods in con- tinuous darkness and peri- ods of light to encourage activity.
An end date for bat- tery cages in Australia is a win for layer hens and the community, who have been calling for a phase out for the past 40 years.
More water for ducks
However, the choice of a date so far into the fu- ture means that millions of layer hens will continue to suffer in barren condi- tions.
There’s a reason for the saying ‘water off a duck’s back’.
Good welfare simply cannot be achieved in a battery cage, and this is no life for a layer hen.
Ducks are waterfowl and have adapted to spend a large amount of their time in water.
States and territories are yet to endorse and imple- ment the standards, but RSPCA is urging them to do so as soon as possible.
Under the previous Model Code of Practice, there was little provision for ducks to have access to water on farm other than drinking water.
There’s no reason Aus- tralia should wait until 2036 to phase out battery cages.
The standards and guidelines require breed- ing ducks by 2032 to have access to water to allow natural behaviours such as preening, head dipping and dabbling.
States and territories have the power to imple- ment a phase out ahead of schedule.
Having access to water to perform these behav- iours is very important for ducks –they help to keep their feathers clean, keep their feet free from parasites and regulate their body temperature.
The ACT proactively did so in 2014, as well as many retailers and brands hav- ing committed to transi- tioning away from using cage eggs by 2025.
The RSPCA would like to see all ducks have ac- cess to water to express their natural behaviours and continues to advocate for this.
Legislative improve- ments for meat chickens
Check out the RSPCA’s ‘Cage Free and Proud’ directory to see if your favourite brand is one of them.
Though the majority of meat chickens in Australia are farmed to the RSPCA’s standard by producers who are certified RSPCA Approved – and are re- quired to have perches and environmental enrichment and much more – the re- vised standards and guide- lines now require all meat chickens to have access to quality litter to encourage natural pecking, foraging and scratching behaviours.
You can also use the power of your dollar to end battery cages sooner by purchasing cage egg alternatives such as barn laid, free range or RSPCA Approved.
The standards also call for minimum light intensi- ty standards and required periods of darkness for ac-
Increasing the demand for cage-free eggs is a tan- gible signal to brands that Australians do not support the use of battery cages or companies that source from producers using cag- es.
Similarly, check for the cage-free label on prod- ucts containing eggs such as cake mix and ready meals – or look for cage- free eggs on your favourite café or restaurant menus, as cage eggs can often be hidden in the ingredients.
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