Voluntary Code to Govern Free-range Eggs Standard
AUSTRALIA - The South Australian Government says an agreed industry code for egg carton labelling will avoid the need to legislate.According to ABC News, Consumer Services Minister John Rau said consumers will know if they are getting genuinely free-range eggs.
He said there is strong support from consumers and egg producers for the term free-range to apply for farms with a limit of 1,500 hens per hectare.
The hens also will have to be given roaming access outdoors for at least eight hours daily.
John Rohde produces eggs at Tarlee, north of Adelaide, and thinks the code will be good for consumers.
"They're the most important people in all of this if they are buying free-range eggs they probably need to know that they're buying from 1,500 per hectare farms and also the 10,000 per hectare which are out there and they're still going to be out there, so they know there's a difference," he said.
"I think that's the most important thing about all of this. People are understanding and getting truth in labelling."
The Government says an accreditation logo will appear on egg cartons by early next year.