Australia joins others in the 100% cage-free egg movement

An independent expert panel developed a draft of The Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines to outlaw battery hens by 2036 in the country.

Meredith Johnson Headshot
Courtesy of CNN
Courtesy of CNN

The new guidelines were presented to Senator the Hon. Scott Ryan by Anne Ruston in June 2021. Senator the Hon. Scott Ryan is President of the Senate and Anne Ruston is the Senator of South Australia. The document is a significant initiative of the government to improve animal welfare standards in all Australian states and territories.  After approval, it will be the state agriculture department’s individual responsibilities to create state regulations.

Criticism from animal welfare groups

The plan has been critiqued by animal welfare groups for taking a decade and a half to ban caged hens. Jed Goodfellow, RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) senior policy officer, stated “Australia really is lagging behind at the moment so it is pleasing to see we're seeing some progress finally.” Additionally, he said "We can produce safe, affordable, nutritious eggs without confining animals to small, barren cages."

Dr. Mehreen Faruri, Senator of New South Wales, is an advocate for the new animal welfare standards. She agrees with the RSPCA concerning the amount of time requested to make the switch. “We know the vast majority of people have been really concerned about hens being kept in such cruel and inhumane conditions,” she stated. 

According to the Australian Egg Industry Overview, New South Wales produces a large portion of Australia’s eggs (33%), with Victoria (26%) and Queensland (25%) following closely.

Prices will likely rise

It’s known that cage-free eggs are more expensive than other competitors due to the additional manpower and feed required. Therefore, the new guidelines will likely cause in increase in Australian goods containing eggs. As a result, commercial restaurants are likely to prefer caged eggs due to the number of eggs used at once and the price difference. Some Australian companies have already converted to cage-free eggs, such as McDonalds, Premier Foods, Subway, and Starbucks.

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