NSW, Don't Let Egg Companies Mislabel Eggs as Free-Range
Egg labeling in New South Wales is no longer what it was once cracked up to be, says organic farmer Simon Cripps-Clark.
He told the Sydney Morning Herald that consumers who usually don't mind paying more for free-range are losing confidence in egg quality because of current labeling inaccuracies. One large producer has already been caught mislabeling caged-hen eggs as free-range.
Adding to the concern is a proposal by commercial egg producers' Australian Egg Corporation to allow free-range farms over 18,000 more hens per hectare than the current code of 1500. Even the current code is not legally enforceable.
Although the NSW government will hold a debate on this issue, it appears the Egg Corporation will try to compromise the code that has, in the past, ensured the quality and method of production of free-range eggs.
Tell NSW, don't let egg companies crack the free-range code or mislabel free-range eggs.
We, the undersigned, are concerned about the compromising of the free-range label on eggs, and we expect the government to protect the current code of free-range egg production.
We do not mind paying higher prices for eggs produced by true free-range methods, because we believe these eggs are of higher quality, and most important, they are produced in a way that protects the welfare of animals and the environment.
However, we expect eggs that are labeled as free-range to be just that, not factory-produced eggs by caged hens, a practice we believe to be cruel as well as unhealthy for all.
We request that you not allow commercial egg producers to compromise the quality of free-range eggs or the lives of the hens that produce them.
Thank you for your attention to this request.
