Egg Producers Deny Misleading Claims
AUSTRALIA - Egg producers in Western Australia are denying claims of involvement in a nationwide racket to mislead consumers over the system under which eggs are produced.ABC reports that the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia has accused egg producers of selling barn-laid eggs as free-range, a practice they say is costing consumers more than A$13 million a year.
The Association claims it is happening right across the country.
John Simpson, president of the Commercial Egg Producers Association of WA is confident that producers in the west of the country are following the regulations.
"Most producers are members of the Australian Egg Corporation Limited which have a quality assurance program," he says.
"Under those guidelines, they must be audited by a third party.
"If they are producing in one system, the audit would determine that the egg is going into that carton labelled for that system."