ABOVE: How free range is being marketed.
VICTORIAN egg farmers are being told – by people who have never farmed or cared for poultry – that starting mid-2026, there will be new regulations for how to care for and manage all types of poultry in Victoria. We are also being told that industry has been consulted and that the new requirements will improve welfare and provide certainty to industry, the community and markets. I want to begin by saying that Victorian egg farmers have never been consulted or had any input into these new regulations and that this whole process has been railroaded by animal activist groups, big business and now government, and all have their own agendas.
As farmers, we know how to manage our farms to get the best animal welfare outcomes, no matter the farming system, as it is critical to the success of our businesses – these proposed changes will not improve the standard of welfare for our hens, as they state. This government has become fixated on phasing out a farming system that was designed for volume production while improving animal welfare, food safety and biosecurity in this country and at the same time gave Australian families food security and food affordability.
The reality of free range.
Big business has also become focused on profits rather than animal welfare and it is important to point out that free range is no longer as most people would imagine and that marketing has gotten in the way of reality. Though I am now a caged-egg farmer, I have farmed in free range, barn and caged systems over the 55 years of my farming life and have marketed my eggs accordingly to meet the needs of my customers. However, it is becoming obvious that the consumer is being misled when it comes to free range eggs.
Most people would not know that the free-range eggs they are buying are coming from large commercial farms where disease is difficult to control at best and antibiotic and chemical use continues to increase. In the past 20 years we have seen an increase in disease outbreaks on egg farms, and it is not a coincidence that it has come as the number and size of our non-caged farming systems have grown. Every avian influenza outbreak in this country since 2000 has begun on a free-range farm and these disease outbreaks have become more frequent as these farms get bigger.
The reality is that the free-range farming system was not designed for volume production. The egg industry understands that there has been an increase in demand for free-range eggs and has responded to meet these demands. Yet it is important to note that there is still a strong demand for caged eggs and farmers will continue to meet these demands as well.
Caged-egg farming.
There is enough science to support both sides of the argument, therefore rather than quoting science, let us stick to the facts:
- The nutritional value of caged, barn and free-range eggs is the same
- Farmers know that none of our systems is perfect
- Wild birds, in particular migratory birds, carry and spread disease
- Getting the best outcome for your animals depends on farm management
- The caged-egg system was specifically designed for volume production and gives the best results when farming birds in volume
- Free range can be done very well if kept to small scale, but was not designed for large-scale farming.
Thanks to big business and the desire to increase profit margins, this industry is being pushed in a direction that is not sustainable long term – if you do not believe me, simply look at what is happening around the world with avian influenza and more recently in Australia in 2024. It is being proposed that we vaccinate for AI, unfortunately there are so many variants of the virus it is not certain how effective this will be.
Yet the solution is far simpler and does not involve the increased use of chemicals or antibiotics. It is all about getting the right balance in our farming systems – caged, barn and free range – where we can produce the eggs safely and humanely and meet the diverse needs of the Australian consumer.
Free-range egg farming.
Many family-run farms in Victoria are generational and have been running for over 50 years, producing eggs to meet the needs of their customers. They have invested heavily in the peri-urban areas of Melbourne to meet the needs of their customers and converting to free range is not an option.
The Australian consumer has the ‘freedom of choice’ and the Australian egg farmer has the right to continue producing the eggs to meet the needs of the Australian consumer – no government has the right to phase out any farming system, unless they are prepared to compensate those farmers to exit the industry. Victorian caged-egg farmers will not accept this latest proposal. And if the State Government does not consult with industry to find an acceptable position, they will need to prepare a compensation package – allowing these farmers to leave this industry with some dignity, as they will be closing down family farms that have been producing food to feed Australian families for decades.
Brian Ahmed
President
Victorian Farmers Federation Egg Group