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C
opious claws protrude
through the wire-mesh
floor overhead, skittishly
moving in the same spot.
Any attempt at venturing
any further is thwarted
immediately; the crowding
so dense within each cage that there is
nowhere else for these battery hens to
go. Below, their faeces accumulates in
what’s known as ‘manure pits’. And it’s
there that dozens more hens roam.
Escape from the cages above does
not signify freedom, but another form
of incarceration made far worse by no
access to food or water. These starving
hens look through the excrement of
their former cage-mates for any scraps,
beetles and eggs needed in order to
survive. Their emaciated features are
exaggerated further by the loss of
their feathers.
This is the scene at a New South
Wales battery farm that supplies cage
eggs to one of our country’s biggest egg
producers. The video evidence was made
public by animal-protection organisation
Animals Australia back in August last
year, and is currently being further
investigated by the RSPCA. Earlier this
year, Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV)
uncovered similar scenes when they
broke into a Victorian poultry farm.
“It was filthy dirty,” ALV’s president
Patty Mark told The Age. “We found sick
and deformed hens left to die in cages.
They were debilitated and exhausted,
had severe feather loss and red-raw
skin.” There were photos of hens laying
eggs over carcasses, and one hen with
such a severe case of oviduct infection
that a vet had to remove 1.2 kilograms of
pus from its 2.3 kilogram frame. Yet the
farm in question had passed an animal-
cruelty inspection by government officials
only months prior to the investigation.
It’s disturbing cases like these that
have increased the demand for free-range
eggs in Australia, with 65 per cent of us
preferring, what we believe, is the product
of kinder farming practices in the past
year. Even big companies are making
a stance: Woolworths announced that
they’ll be removing cage eggs from all
stores by 2018 and McDonald’s has
already committed to only using cage-
free eggs in 2017. But is the promise
of ‘free range’ really all we hope it to
be? Or are we paying more money for
a great piece of marketing?
What does ‘free-range’
mean, anyway?
Without a current enforceable national
standard, it’s a question that consumer
advocacy group Choice tried to answer
by looking into the outdoor stocking
densities of 35 free-range egg brands.
According to the CSIRO Model Code of
Practice for the Welfare of Animals, a farm
can have a maximum of 1,500 hens per
hectare for it to be considered free-range.
Choice found that while some farmers
had well below that amount (like Hoods
Earth Eggs, Farmer Browns and Macro
Organic Free-Range Eggs), there were
brands that had up to 10,000 hens per
hectare still claiming to be free-range,
including the home-brand offerings from
both Coles and Woolworths.
Then there are other brands marketing
their product as free-range when their
hens aren’t being let outside at all. In
September, Darling Downs Free Range
Eggs was fined $250,000 by the federal
court after admitting that their marketed
“free-range hens” were confined in barns
from December 2013 to October 2014.
really
What are you
EATING?
McDonald’s and Subway
have committed to banning
cage eggs at their stores.
Choice’s efforts were successful,
and consumer affairs ministers agreed
to develop a new national standard for
labelling. A draft should be ready by 2016.
At the same time, Australia’s agriculture
ministers are overseeing the development
of a new standard for animal welfare.
A spokesperson for the Federal Minister
of Agriculture Barnaby Joyce tells CLEO
their views: “The work of agricultural
ministers will ensure the continued
protection of animal welfare across all
egg-production systems, and complement
the work of consumer affairs ministers in
ensuring consumers can be confident of
the veracity of claims on egg packages.”
It’s not just about numbers
The RSPCA believes outdoor stocking-
density shouldn’t be the main concern
for those worried about animal welfare.
“People are getting too caught up in the
stocking-density side of things; they’re
missing what’s more important, which
is how well cared for those are inside
the shed,” says Hope Betram, RSPCA’s
Humane Food marketing manager.
Betram argues that the birds spend
more time indoors, even if they live on
a free-range farm, than they do outdoors.
From an animal-welfare perspective, this
means ensuring the conditions inside the
shed are optimal, including whether they
have nest boxes for laying eggs, access
to litter to provide for their behavioural
need to dust-bathe and forage, and room
to flap their wings. “It’s a more holistic
From cage to free-range and organic
eggs, Lizza Gebilagin investigates
the meaning behind the labels.
Layer hens
only live for
72 weeks.
A hen’s normal
life expectancy
is 10 years.
54 55
REPORT

2. PHOTOGRAPHYGETTYIMAGES,ANIMALSAUSTRALIA.
2018: The year
Woolworths has
said it would
stop stocking
cage eggs.
approach to welfare than just stocking
density,” explains Betram.
And you thought that choosing eggs
couldn’t get any more complicated? To
make sure you’re getting a legitimate
free-range product with higher animal
welfare standards, look out for certified
logos on the pack, like Free Range
Egg and Poultry Australia Ltd, Humane
Choice and RSPCA’s Approved Farming.
If you want to take it one step further,
Animals Australia recommends always
choosing certified organic products “which
meet and exceed the standards of the
best free-range facilities”. This certification
means that hens don’t have parts of their
beaks cut off, which is sadly a common
practice even in some certified free-range
products. Michael Baker, chief certification
officer at Australian Certified Organic,
says, “The organic certification means that
[a product is] free-range, animal welfare
conditions are being met, environmentally
friendly, and not grown with the use of
synthetic chemicals and pesticides.”
Can any choice ever
truly be cruelty free?
Unfortunately in the present system, even
if you choose to eat certified free-range
or organic eggs, there’s still a cost. Out
of the chickens raised for egg-laying, the
one-day-old males are gassed or ground
up alive because they aren’t necessary
for the production of eggs. It’s estimated
that 12 million male chicks meet this fate
every year in Australia. Then there are the
layer hens that are sent to slaughter
from 18 months old, when their most
productive working period is deemed
to be over, well short of the 10 years
that they would naturally live.
Claire Fryer, a spokesperson for PETA,
says, “We need to be kind to animals by
not paying someone to slaughter them
– something that happens even on those
so-called ‘humane’ farms.” PETA and
other animal rights organisations like ALV
recommend changing to a vegetarian
or vegan diet as the only action to take.
The RSPCA has a different stance.
“We respect the choices of people who
don’t eat meat or animal products. We
also respect those individuals who choose
to eat meat,” Betram says. “The RSPCA
believes we can do far more to improve
how farm animals are treated by getting
involved in the process and pushing
government and industry for more
improved farm production standards than
by telling people not to eat meat at all.”
It’s a tough position to be in, because
ultimately it’s up to your beliefs about what
food choices work best for you. Whether
you decide to stop eating animal products
completely, or learn more on how your
food ends up on your plate by choosing
certified free-range or organic products,
starting with ethically sourced eggs,
then you’re making a difference. #
Here are a few things that you can
do to help make a difference:
• Only buy certified free-range, RSPCA-
approved or organic eggs. The key word
in that last sentence: certified. Look out
for the official logos.
• Go meat-free at least once a week.
• Limit your egg consumption. One of
the main arguments for keeping hens in
cages is that it’s the only way to meet
consumer demand, so find alternatives.
• Eat at restaurants and cafes that
serve cage-free eggs. And encourage
your local to choose cage-free as part
of the RSPCA’s Choose Wisely campaign.
• Adopt a rescued caged hen. If you
have the space at your place, you can
give a former battery hen a new home.
Visit henrescue.org for more information.
• Obviously, the most effective way to
ensure you are eating cruelty-free is
to go vegetarian or vegan.
cruelty-free
CLEO’s guide to
EATING
WHICH EGGS ARE
CRUELT Y-FREE?
Study our detailed list of
cruelty-free eggs you can
consume. Download the
free viewa app and scan
your phone or tablet here
to save the comprehensive
list on to your device.
11 million
hens are
currently
confined
in cages in
Australia.Scenes from the
New South Wales
battery farm
investigation.
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