The Queensland government has allowed an increase in free-range chicken densities of 1500 birds per hectare to 10,000 per hectare.
Consumers have been fried with the marketing term “free range” eggswhere there is in fact no federal government standard.
It begs the moral question of how big an area chickens should given to roam free.
According to the news.com the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Domestic Poultry, which is under review, allows for a maximum of 1500 layer hens or meat chickens per hectare for them to be described as free range.
Coles allows 10,000 chickens per, Australian Certified Organic allows 1000 and the RSPCA has set their standard at 1500-2500.
Earlier this month the ACCC The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission upheld an ACCC decision that some advertised "free to roam" chickens were not entirely free. It also alleged that some of these chicken farms allowed each one a living area equal to less than an A4 sheet of paper.
In response to the Queensland Goverment's announcement, Choice has launched a Save Free Range campaign to set a common standard for free range eggs in Australia.
- Lauren Della Marta
