SOUTH Australia' free-range egg industry will push for specific labelling on egg cartons in an effort to protect genuine free-range producers.
About 25 South Australian producers gathered at SAFF headquarters in Adelaide on Friday last week for a meeting on the issue. It was decided that SAFF's position would be that any producer with a stocking density at or below 1500 birds a hectare could be considered free-range.
Producers stocking between 1500 and 5000 birds/ha will have to market their produce as medium-density free-range, those stocking 5000-10,000 birds/ha will need to market them as high-density free-range and those who have numbers above that will have another name yet to be decided.
A group was also established, comprising SAFF poultry committee chair and Tarlee free-range egg producer John Rohde; Tom Fryar, Kangaroo Island Free-Range Eggs, Kingscote; Dion Andary, Days Eggs, Napperby; and Jonathon Attard, Solar Eggs, North Plympton.
The group will meet with Agriculture Minister Gail Gago in coming months to discuss the issue.
Mr Rohde said the meeting was a "good start".
"The main thing was there was some agreement on the issue.
"At the moment, I think we're on the same page as the minister.
"No other state has developed anything like this so hopefully we can create a bit of influence."
The Model Code of Practice for Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry states that a maximum of 1500 birds/ha is best-practice for free-range layer hens.
But the Australian Egg Corporation is pushing for this to be changed to two birds a square metre, or 20,000 birds/ha.
AEC managing director James Kellaway said he thinks SAFF's proposal could confuse consumers.
*Full report in Stock Journal, April 26 issue, 2012.
