A new "good egg" map is the latest project aimed at helping consumers find free-range eggs.
In March 2016 consumer affair ministers introduced new standards for what quantifies an egg as being free-range, giving farmers the ability to label their product as free-range provided they run no more than 10,000 chickens per hectare.
This figure went against the of 1500 hens per hectare, with consumer advocacy group Choice starting a campaign calling on consumers to boycott 19 brands (see list below) accused of sidestepping the scientific body's more humane guidelines with figures much closer to the 10,000 limit.
Speaking with , Choice spokesperson Tom Godfrey says the drive has been a huge success, with the group introducing the CluckAr mobile app concurrently with the campaign, a product that enabled consumers to scan egg cartons to find out what standards the eggs actually met.
"It has led to, and certainly contributed to an egg shortage because a lot of these products are being left on the shelves by consumers," he says.
So far more than 50,000 consumers have used the app via their smartphones, with an astounding 819,000 egg cartons scanned since launch.
Now Choice has launcehd a new version of the app, enabling consumers to find locate free-range eggs using a "good egg" map in an effort to reward genuine free-range farmers whose methods better reflect what is expected of free-range eggs.
“We’re asking consumers to download the newly updated and free CluckAR app, scan cartons and mark the location in the app when they find genuine free range eggs," Godfrey says.
“The golden eggs are out there and by marking the store location when you find them, you’ll be helping all consumers avoid this multi-million dollar rip-off."
Choice has also stated it will maintain the boycott of the , including major retail chains Coles and Woolworths, as failing to meet humane regulations as defined by the CSIRO while suggesting their own free-range standards.
“Consumers should have confidence that the term ‘free range’ reflects their reasonable expectation that hens spend time outside, have room to move inside and out, and that farmers employ animal welfare practices," Godfrey says.
“Given the draft standard fails to deliver for consumers, we will maintain our boycott of .”
Choice free-range egg standards Source: Choice
What do the farmers have to say?
Julie Kos of free range producer Kossies about the positive impact the campaign had on their business after the introduction of the new rules, reporting a 100 per cent increase in business.
"Consumers have now started repurchasing free range eggs. The app made people aware of what was going on and then people were able to make the choice," Kos said.
"We were gutted because we worked so hard and the big boys just came in an ruined it. We just wanted them to be honest - but we haven’t lost, we've actually won."
In an effort to further differentiate their product, many farmers have introduced '', where hens are allowed to forage of extensive sets of land with no more than 1,500 chickens per hectare.
Julie Kos outside Parliament House. Source: Facebook
Natasha Harris of Guildford Grown Pasture Eggs spoke with SBS about how this way of farming imitated nature in an effort to improve the overall health of their hens, thereby increasing the quality of the eggs produced.
"What we're all about with pastured eggs is to try to mimic nature to get animals to do what they love doing, and express themselves naturally to serve the purpose for us as a farmer and the ecology we're trying to improve and heal by the methods that we try to use." Harris said.
National impact on egg sales
In their 2016 , now departed chairman of the Australian Egg Corporation Limited Jeff Ironside stated the industry had undergone a historic year in 2016, despite some confusion surrounding free-range classifications.
"Uncertainty prevailed relating to the free range farming definition, new standards and guidelines for hen welfare... and continuing egg labelling confusion," Ironside said.
"Despite these challenges, we have witnessed record levels of egg production."
Since then a number of independent farms have experienced a healthy improvement in sales since the boycott whilst caged egg sales have fallen to below a 50 per cent market share, accounting for 49.5 per cent of the total market share.
The number marks a more than 25 per cent decrease from the 74.9 per cent share it had a decade ago while free-range egg sales have boomed, bouncing up 12.7 percent in 2016 to a 40.7 per cent market share, the report shows.
Some happy hens at Splendid Eggs in South Australia. Source: Instagram
