tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/cage-eggs-26234/articlesCage eggs – The Conversation2021-07-05T06:48:37Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1635522021-07-05T06:48:37Z2021-07-05T06:48:37ZNational plan to allow battery cages until 2036 favours cheap eggs over animal welfare<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409622/original/file-20210705-19-1oft08e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C34%2C7741%2C5098&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Eggs laid by battery hens would be phased out within 15 years under a plan to improve poultry welfare in Australia. The proposal signals some relief for the <a href="https://www.australianeggs.org.au/dms/4858-AE-Anuual-Report-2020-V8-web.pdf">10 million</a> or so egg-laying hens still kept in battery cages in Australia. But it doesn’t go far enough.</p>
<p>Among <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/publications/tabledpapers/f24e63d8-5fab-4736-b62a-0ca637a63a08/upload_pdf/OPD%201146_Redacted.pdf">the recommendations</a> of an independent panel were to phase out battery cages between 2032 and 2036. Egg producers will have the option of transitioning to larger furnished cages, or may decide to move straight to cage-free systems, such as barn-laid and free-range eggs.</p>
<p>Such recommendations may seem like a happy compromise – balancing the interests of farmers, consumers and the hens themselves. </p>
<p>But developing welfare standards for farmed animals involves more than just practical, scientific and economic considerations. Such decisions also have an ethical dimension: what level of animal welfare <em>should</em> society provide? On that measure, we believe the standards fall short.</p>
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<img alt="two cartons of eggs - one free-range, one caged" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409612/original/file-20210705-27-n97uyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Under the draft standards, from 2036 no battery hens would be allowed in Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alan Porritt/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>An appetite for change</h2>
<p>An independent panel drafted <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/publications/tabledpapers/f24e63d8-5fab-4736-b62a-0ca637a63a08/upload_pdf/OPD%201146_Redacted.pdf">the proposal</a> after consulting state and territory governments, industry, animal welfare groups and the public. </p>
<p>The draft standards cover poultry including chickens, ducks, emus, geese, quail and turkeys. Confining hens in battery cages is by far the industry’s most controversial practice, and we focus on those recommendations here.</p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4">Research has found</a> hens are intelligent, social animals. But confined to battery cages – often a space <a href="https://www.poultryworld.net/Eggs/Articles/2021/6/European-Parliament-votes-to-ban-the-use-of-cages-by-2027-758070E/">smaller</a> than an A4 sheet of paper – they <a href="https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/529829/Farmed-Bird-Welfare-Science-Review.pdf">cannot</a> stretch their wings or perform basic natural behaviours such as roost, nest, forage and dust-bathe. </p>
<p>Battery hens can also suffer <a href="https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/529829/Farmed-Bird-Welfare-Science-Review.pdf">severe health problems</a> such as feather loss, fractured bones and haemorrhagic fatty liver syndrome. They can also experience <a href="https://welfarefootprint.org/research-projects/laying-hens/">more pain</a> than those in cage-free systems.</p>
<p>Industry figures <a href="https://www.australianeggs.org.au/dms/4858-AE-Anuual-Report-2020-V8-web.pdf">show</a> Australia produces around 17 million eggs each day. Of about 75% sold at supermarkets, 39% are from caged hens. Free-range (50%), barn-laid (10%) and specialty eggs (1%) make up the remainder. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-activists-9-out-of-10-people-are-concerned-about-animal-welfare-in-australian-farming-117077">Not just activists, 9 out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in Australian farming</a>
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<p>Of the other 25%, much is used in processed foods and catering, where the proportion of cage eggs is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-23/caged-eggs-phased-out-by-2036-under-national-proposal/100236246">thought to be higher</a> than those sold in supermarkets.</p>
<p>Cage-free eggs are generally more expensive than cage eggs. Nonetheless, <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-no-yolk-grocery-giants-commit-to-animal-welfare-initiatives-12083">major supermarkets</a> and other food companies have also vowed to phase out caged eggs, or <a href="https://www.rspca.org.au/take-action/layer-hen-welfare/cage-free-proud">already use cage-free eggs</a> in their products.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.outbreak.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/farm-animal-welfare.pdf">2018 report</a> prepared for the federal government found 95% of Australians view the welfare of farmed animals as a concern and 91% want law reform to address it. </p>
<p>It found Australians want regulation that prevents the suffering of farmed animals, which are increasingly seen as sentient beings with capabilities, rights and freedoms.</p>
<p>Keeping hens in cages is not consistent with these views. An <a href="https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/news/record-response-poultry-welfare-standards-public-consultation">unprecedented</a> 170,000-odd <a href="http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au/files/2015/07/Public-consultation-report-final-09072018.pdf">public submissions</a> were made on the draft poultry standards, reflecting the huge public interest in the issue. The vast majority supported a ban on battery cages. </p>
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<img alt="free range hens feeding" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409616/original/file-20210705-27-olfa3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Under the proposal, hens would be free-range or kept in barns or larger cages.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>How did we get here?</h2>
<p>State and territory agriculture ministers must now endorse the standards and enact regulations to bring them into effect.</p>
<p>If enacted, the standards will replace the <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ebook/download/pdf/3451">outdated</a> 2002 code of practice. The independent panel was appointed to help re-draft those standards after previous attempts were mired in controversy, including <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-21/egg-farmers-accused-of-colluding-with-nsw-government/9229242">allegations</a> of collusion between farmers and the NSW government.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/rspca-threatens-to-quit-poultry-standards-advisory-group-as-integrity-of-process-is-questioned-20170213-gubgx0.html">Scientists</a>, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/rspca-threatens-to-quit-poultry-standards-advisory-group-as-integrity-of-process-is-questioned-20170213-gubgx0.html">animal welfare organisations</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-22/western-australia-may-leave-chicken-welfare-review/9283274">two state governments</a> also raised concern about the integrity of the process.</p>
<p>The panel’s appointment was a positive step. Importantly, it was made up of independent experts, rather than dominated by industry and agriculture department representatives.</p>
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<img alt="hens in cage with feathers missing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409614/original/file-20210705-19-10b71u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Most submissions supported a ban on keeping hens in battery cages, which can cause serious health problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Emma Hanswell/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>Where the proposal falls short</h2>
<p>The proposed standards give egg producers ten to 15 years to transition away from battery cages. Animal welfare groups such as the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-23/caged-eggs-phased-out-by-2036-under-national-proposal/100236246">RSPCA say</a> this timeline is too slow and cages should be phased out sooner – and we agree.</p>
<p>The use of battery cages in Australia is certainly <a href="https://theconversation.com/proposed-poultry-standards-leave-australia-trailing-behind-other-industrialised-countries-88302">out of step</a> internationally. Most OECD nations have <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/transcripts/2188/Transcript%20-%2014%20August%20-%20Select%20Committee%20on%20the%20Use%20of%20Battery%20Cages%20for%20Hens%20in%20the%20Egg%20-%20UNCORRECTED.pdf">banned</a> battery cages or are in the process of doing so.</p>
<p>The lengthy period of transition prioritises the continued availability of cheap battery cage eggs, and the interests of cage-egg producers, over the welfare of millions of animals.</p>
<p>The standards will still allow the use of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12365505/">furnished cages</a>: larger cages with features such as perches and scratch pads.</p>
<p>Furnished cages are better than battery cages. And some researchers <a href="https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/529829/Farmed-Bird-Welfare-Science-Review.pdf">say</a> furnished cages, if well managed, are better than poorly run free-range and barn systems. But the behavioural needs of hens are not fully satisfied in furnished cages. And if lifetime confinement represents a “better” animal welfare outcome than many cage-free facilities, this reflects very poorly on the regulation of cage-free systems. </p>
<p>A more humane approach would keep hens in well-managed free-range or barn systems. In fact, the European Parliament last month <a href="https://www.poultryworld.net/Eggs/Articles/2021/6/European-Parliament-votes-to-ban-the-use-of-cages-by-2027-758070E/">voted overwhelmingly</a> (but non-bindingly) in favour of phasing out all cages in farming.</p>
<p>And enacting new standards is not enough. To ensure standards are maintained and enforced, an independent animal welfare regulator is needed, as recommended by the <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/agriculture/report">Productivity Commission</a> in 2017. </p>
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<img alt="three hens in field" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=262&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=262&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=262&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409625/original/file-20210705-35953-1pt8cxy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">An independent regulator should enforce poultry standards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>A fundamental moral question</h2>
<p>The draft standards represent an important first step in freeing Australian hens from cages. While not perfect, they will bring Australian agriculture closer to international scientific consensus and public opinion on the issue.</p>
<p>However, developing animal welfare standards involves considering the practical, the economic, the scientific <em>and</em> the ethical. Deciding whether and when to ban cage production systems touches on fundamental moral questions, such as whether non-human animals deserve a “good life” and what this means in practice.</p>
<p>At the most fundamental level, Australians must ask themselves: should sentient, intelligent creatures have the freedom to access the outdoors? Or should they spend their lives in a barren cage so we can have the option of cheaper eggs? </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-care-about-animals-but-we-dont-buy-ethical-meat-104394">Australians care about animals – but we don't buy ethical meat</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Parker received funding from the Australian Research Council to research “Regulating Food Labels: The Case of Free Range Food Products in Australia” (DP150102168) from 2015 to 2018. She is affiliated with the Australasian Animal Law Teachers and Researchers Association and the Animal Welfare Lawyers group.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lev Bromberg receives a Commonwealth Government Research Training Program Scholarship. He is affiliated with the Australasian Animal Law Teachers and Researchers Association.</span></em></p>Egg production standards are about more than just a happy compromise. Hens are sentient, intelligent beings. Like us, they deserve a good life.Christine Parker, Professor of Law, The University of MelbourneLev Bromberg, PhD Candidate, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1264222019-11-14T12:59:42Z2019-11-14T12:59:42ZIs it ethical to keep pets and other animals? It depends on where you keep them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301601/original/file-20191113-77295-1bq237u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C4052%2C2673&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cats can be happy in apartments, but the space needs features that enable their natural desire to climb, jump, hide and scratch.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kitten-sits-on-tree-branch-forest-119757583">Kuznetcov_Konstantin/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New York City’s <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets/nyc-council-passes-animal-welfare-bills/vp-AAJBUwR">comprehensive code for animal welfare</a> restricts when horse-drawn carriages can operate and bans the sale of the fatty liver of a force-fed duck, foie gras. </p>
<p>Washington state adopted a new law that will enhance the <a href="https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/2049-S.PL.pdf#page=1">life of egg-laying chickens</a>, requiring that they live in an environment with “enrichments” like scratch areas, perches, nest boxes and areas to take the dust baths chickens so enjoy.</p>
<p>These rules are part of an ongoing effort to <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=578570">codify the rights of animals</a>, an area of the law I have <a href="http://www.law.msu.edu/faculty_staff/profile.php?prof=12">studied</a> and <a href="https://www.wklegaledu.com/favre-animallaw3">written about</a> for 30 years. My next book develops a group of seven legal rights that I believe an ethical society should adopt to protect animals. </p>
<p>Freedom from cruelty of course makes the list. U.S. law has required this since <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/development-anti-cruelty-laws-during-1800s">New York first passed an anti-animal cruelty law in 1867</a>. Today, all U.S. states have laws that <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/content/state-animal-anti-cruelty-laws">prohibit the infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering</a>. Modern law also protects the physical well-being of animals in human care by requiring they receive <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/statute/mi-cruelty-neglect-chapter-750-michigan-penal-code-michigan-penal-code">food, water and often veterinary care</a>. </p>
<p>But a full life requires more than <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-more-democratic-animal-welfare-policy-12440">basic survival</a>, so I propose some new rights for animals in my book. Perhaps most importantly, I argue that animals need a “right of place” – that is, access to sufficient physical space to live a natural life.</p>
<p>To be comfortable, content and to <a href="https://www.cabi.org/bookshop/book/9781786390202/">find their place in a social hierarchy</a>, animals require space. Conversely, if an animal has too little space, then its home becomes a jail, a stressor, a frustrating moment that continues indefinitely.</p>
<h2>On the right of place</h2>
<p>Living on a farm with five different species, including chickens and dogs, has convinced me of an animal’s right to place, too. </p>
<p>This space has two components. First, there’s its size – is it big enough to suit an animal’s needs? Second, there’s the content of that space – what’s inside that space that the animal can make use of?</p>
<p>Different animals have different space needs. Consider, for example, a Great Pyrenees dog – a breed <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/9-facts-great-pyrenees/">genetically predisposed to guarding</a>. For over a decade, my family’s farm has been watched over by five of these large, amazing dogs.</p>
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<span class="caption">The Great Pyrenees dog is bred to guard territory and flocks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/135651401?src=56a71cbc-cb8d-4098-a047-9138e1525eda-1-60&size=huge_jpg">www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>When on guard, the Great Pyrenees have the regal look of white lion. On a given day on our farm, they will independently wander over 30 fenced acres. Without fences, I am sure these dogs could patrol an even greater range, but letting the Great Pyrenees wander her maximum range is usually not desirable. Natural and human-made hazards pose a risk to the uncontained dog, and the dog might pose a risk to others. </p>
<p>An optimum option for the Great Pyrenees is several acres of fenced-in land, which allows the dog to investigate its natural features while guarding against intruders. </p>
<p>If that same amount of land were paved in concrete and surrounded by a brick wall, it wouldn’t suffice. To exercise her natural capabilities, the Great Pyrenees needs trees that provide shade, plants to sniff, perhaps a place to dig and things to watch.</p>
<p>Nor would confinement in a city apartment give this animal the room or features she needs to exercise her instincts. </p>
<h2>A place for farm animals</h2>
<p>Pigs are <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8sx4s79c">at least as complex an animal as dogs</a>, studies show. </p>
<p>Ideally they would live in open fields of <a href="https://www.grit.com/animals/putting-the-pigs-out-to-pasture">many acres with other pigs</a>. Instead, many are kept in the cement and iron confinement of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/01/death-rates-surge-female-pigs-us">industrial agriculture</a>, in <a href="https://komonews.com/news/offbeat/man-accused-of-stealing-around-150-pigs-from-confinement">stalls the size of their physical body</a>. </p>
<p>The vast majority of commercial chickens, too, <a href="https://theconversation.com/cage-free-sounds-good-but-does-it-mean-a-better-life-for-chickens-62083">lack the space in which to live natural lives</a>. For their entire useful life, egg-laying chickens are often kept in <a href="https://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/11/19/are-caged-chickens-miserable">battery cages</a> that holds six hens in a four-square-foot space. </p>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/is-the-free-range-egg-trend-really-just-a-shell-game/article29797385/">free-range movement</a> has brought to light, it is possible to give egg-laying chickens a better life without significantly increasing cost. Chickens don’t actually require much space. Some of the chickens on my farm have total free range and yet seldom wander more than 100 yards from the barn where they are fed and go to roost at night. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C132%2C4137%2C2709&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C132%2C4137%2C2709&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301598/original/file-20191113-77315-ipfaeb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Washington state passed a law requiring commercial egg-laying chickens to be removed from cages.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Bird-Flu-South-Dakota/520259b3d5f642dab7ac29eb2bffc9e1/37/0">AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But, as Washington state lawmakers recently acknowledged, chickens do <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/5/10/18564455/washington-jay-inslee-hens-animal-cruelty">need a space that meets their needs</a>. Washington’s quietly created bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in May, effectively guarantees a chicken’s right of place. </p>
<h2>Companion animals</h2>
<p>So what about your pet, you ask? Are you respecting its right of place? </p>
<p>It all depends on the pet. </p>
<p>Our family has had a number of poodles, and we’ve found that young standard poodles, being a smart and high-energy dog, will want the opportunity to <a href="https://www.petcarerx.com/article/anxious-poodle-behavior/739">run like the wind and be challenged mentally</a>. An elderly miniature poodle, however, may be content in an apartment with daily walks. </p>
<p>House cats, meanwhile, are often thought to be satisfied with apartment life, as long as they have <a href="https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/basic-indoor-cat-needs">places to climb, hide, perch and scratch</a>. But a confined habitat may actually cripple some felines’ <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/09/05/219254626/whats-mittens-thinking-make-sense-of-your-cats-behavior">instinct to hunt</a>. Behavioral scientists <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/05/cats-rival-dogs-many-tests-social-smarts-anyone-brave-enough-study-them">haven’t studied cats enough</a> to fully understand their needs.</p>
<p>Frankly, people don’t yet know how yet to satisfy every individual animal’s right of place. We <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/books/review/are-we-smart-enough-to-know-how-smart-animals-are-and-the-genius-of-birds.html?_r=0">need more information from science</a>. </p>
<p>Nor is it clear, beyond the most egregious cases, when the law should intervene to ensure that pet owners are meeting their animals’ needs. This, I contend, is the next frontier of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-dogs-and-cats-can-get-their-day-in-court-80790">animal rights law</a>. </p>
<p>People bring these animals into existence. So I believe people owe them a dignified life, a right of place on this Earth.</p>
<p>[ <em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Favre is the author of the forthcoming book, "Rethinking the Future of Animal Law" (Edward Elgar Publications, 2020).
He has no funding or affiliation conflicts relevant to the topic of this article.</span></em></p>Animals don’t just need enough space to live – they need the right kind of space, too. An animal welfare lawyer defends our pets’ ‘right of place.’David Favre, Professor of Law at Michigan State University College of Law, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1043942018-10-15T06:33:03Z2018-10-15T06:33:03ZAustralians care about animals – but we don’t buy ethical meat<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240551/original/file-20181015-165903-b8knuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australians happily pay more for free-range eggs, but that hasn't translated to other animal products.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thekevinchang/4807680154/in/photolist-8jQBP9-eEDjbv-8UViWM-haVocF-6t4yEY-cvZf8o-NtPGWo-5wRXgM-7xiHuj-9hei7D-72cNFE-8h5nUr-WC6w67-2fHjWT-21rBeLW-697mg5-4nvDnU-4ibim9-216Ujq5-dZ5dF5-4nvCX5-e7GiqW-6d268e-4ibhYA-92nea3-aj79T3-5b3iEV-6yCXqc-4Rx41e-26mLp-YH7mz6-cJ3CmS-6T7dGe-5ir8Pi-bp5WZR-27tXtDq-cJ3BB3-2ytgrG-6ZhJb7-eEDh1R-icQ3LD-wbqhn-6ji3S2-cxMAhW-6ojYKG-5FyHtF-e7AE94-XFDGkH-cMk3ZA-8XeX6q">Kevin Chang/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians clearly care about animal welfare: our research has found 92% shoppers in Sydney considered animal welfare to be important.</p>
<p>However, when we look at the distribution of market share of so-called high-welfare foods in Australia, we get a varied picture. Aussie shoppers seem to care far more about free-range eggs than the living conditions of pigs, cows and broilers (meat poultry). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-comes-first-the-free-range-chicken-or-the-free-range-egg-77869">What comes first: the free-range chicken or the free-range egg?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Free-range eggs now account for <a href="https://www.australianeggs.org.au/who-we-are/annual-reports/%23item-818">more than 40% of all eggs sold in Australia</a>. This contrasts with only a 14% market share for <a href="https://www.chicken.org.au/facts-and-figures/">free-range poultry</a> and even less for pork, with <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-11-05/consumers-misled-over-free-range-pork/2325502">only 5% coming from pigs raised outdoors</a>.</p>
<p>Modern Australians are far removed from the production of their food. Around 95% of meat chickens and pigs eaten in Australia live on <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-21/kirby-modern-meat/4770226">intensive farms</a>, where huge numbers of animals are kept in small enclosed areas. This means we are largely divorced from the price animals pay in becoming our food.</p>
<h2>Mind the hypocrisy gap</h2>
<p>If we care about the welfare of the animals we eat, why don’t we buy foods that come from animals that were treated well? And why are we buying eggs that reflect higher welfare but not other animal-based foods?</p>
<p>This incongruence is an example of what is referred to as the attitude-behaviour gap, or the disparity between what we say and what we do. Many of us love animals, but buy the cheapest meat at the supermarket. This may be simply because all the different labels about welfare standards are too confusing, or it might be a consequence of the considerable price disparity.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-know-what-youre-getting-when-you-buy-free-range-eggs-81675">How to know what you're getting when you buy free-range eggs</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>We also know when a researcher asks shoppers if they’d pay more for free-range, she may receive disingenuous answers. We often like the idea we’ll do the “right” thing, and until we’re forced to put our money where our mouth is, it costs nothing to say we would behave honourably.</p>
<h2>Hard to know</h2>
<p>Even with the best intentions, it can be hard to know how the cows and pigs we eat are raised. Australian legislation doesn’t require producers to disclose fully their farming methods, such as the use of sow stalls. Sow stalls are highly confined housing that pregnant pigs are kept in. Promisingly, Pork Australia has said Aussie farmers are <a href="http://australianpork.com.au/industry-focus/animal-welfare/housing/">voluntarily phasing them out</a>. </p>
<p>Shoppers can easily be left in the dark about the animal welfare implications of certain foods or, worse, misled by an array of labels, claims or certifications that are essentially meaningless.</p>
<p>When it comes to pork and bacon, Aussie consumers are afforded no legally enforceable definitions for pig husbandry systems. Currently, upwards of 95% of all pigs grown in Australia have no outdoor access.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240557/original/file-20181015-165921-l378ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It can be hard to find out how pigs are raised.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Webster/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>When pigs are reared indoors, their stocking densities (number of animals per unit floor area) have a direct impact on farmers’ profit margins. Overcrowding and tail-biting in confined pigs are among the chief welfare concerns that drive consumers to pay a price premium for free-range pork and bacon.</p>
<p>But there is a growing trend towards use of the rather opaque term “outdoor-bred”. This denotes that piglets are born outdoors, but when weaned, at about 21 days of age, they are transferred to sheds where they spend the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of the true conditions behind this label and think it indicates that the animals spend all of their lives <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-11-05/consumers-misled-over-free-range-pork/2325502">ranging freely</a>.</p>
<p>Bred free-range is such a misleading term that Australia’s consumer watchdog has <a href="https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/3376670/accc-moves-on-pork-labelling/">pushed for the inclusion of the words “Raised indoors on straw”</a> to make it clearer to consumers that the pigs are born outdoors but raised indoors from weaning until slaughter.</p>
<p>The stocking densities on Australian farms are governed by the <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/Books/download.cfm?ID=5698">Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Pigs</a>. However, for outdoor pigs, the code only offers “recommended” maximum stocking densities. Thus there is really no way of knowing how much space “free-range” pigs occupy, unless you study the details of accreditation or assurance schemes. </p>
<h2>Information feeds demand</h2>
<p>Australian shoppers now see plenty of information on egg cartons, which raises our awareness and, in turn, the demand for higher welfare eggs. This high demand lowers the price, and the attitude-behaviour gap shrinks a little when it comes to eggs.</p>
<p>Free-range eggs sell at a lower price premium than other high welfare animal-based foods. For example, intensively farmed cage eggs will cost you about A$3.50 per dozen, yet for just an extra dollar or two you can buy free-range eggs. This contrasts sharply with intensively farmed chicken meat, which will generally cost you A$7 per kg for breast fillets, while the free-range counterpart sits at around A$16/kg.</p>
<p>If you are confused about this disparity, so are we! That’s why we are exploring the extent of the attitude-behaviour gap in Australia and have launched an <a href="https://redcap.sydney.edu.au/surveys/?s=3EKHYKKTHN">online survey</a>. We need you to tell us how labelling around animal welfare influences your shopping decisions.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/animal-welfare-and-animal-rights-are-very-different-beasts-26848">Animal welfare and animal rights are very different beasts</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Welfare-friendly shopping involves avoiding foods that have been produced using practices such as so-called battery cages (for egg production) and sow stalls (for pork production). With the attitude-behaviour gap in mind, it’s important to find higher-welfare products by looking for labels such as <a href="https://rspcaapproved.org.au/">RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme</a>,<a href="http://www.humanechoice.com.au/">Humane Choice</a> or <a href="http://www.frepa.com.au/">FREPA</a>, just to name a few. But we should also be demanding clearer labels.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104394/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amelia Cornish receives funding from the RSPCA Australia Scholarship for Humane Animal Production Research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul McGreevy consults on a voluntary basis to the RSPCA Australia and is a lifetime member of the RSPCA NSW </span></em></p>Nearly half the eggs sold in Australia are free-range, but only 5% of pork comes from pigs raised outdoors.Amelia Cornish, PhD student, University of SydneyPaul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1040772018-10-05T11:30:55Z2018-10-05T11:30:55ZCurious Kids: why do hens still lay eggs when they don’t have a mate?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239356/original/file-20181004-52660-1fosymz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=121%2C5%2C3214%2C2309&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The birds and the bees.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hen-hatching-egg-coophatching-1103310314?src=GVh8WKneJRCJk-T_Vq6R4w-1-0">Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is an article from <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782">Curious Kids</a>, a series for children of all ages. The Conversation is asking young people to send in questions they’d like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome: find out how to enter at the bottom.</em> </p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Why do hens still lay eggs when they don’t have a mate? – Finley, age ten; Evie, age eight; and Jonah, age five, Cambridgeshire, UK</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thanks for the question Finley, Evie and Jonah. Humans have been looking after chickens for thousands of years – and we have gradually learned what to do to make sure our hens keep laying eggs for us to eat. </p>
<p>For one thing, we have gradually changed hens through breeding, to make sure that they don’t stop laying eggs in the winter (hens used to do this naturally). </p>
<p>We’ve also learned that if we keep taking the eggs away from the hens, they will keep laying them, because of the way their bodies work. But for you to really understand why, I’ll have to explain a bit of biology. </p>
<p>In our world, creatures have many different ways of trying to have babies. But one thing is almost always the same: a special cell from a female (called the egg cell) and a special cell from the male (called a sperm cell) have to join together to make the baby. </p>
<p>Each of these special cells contains half of the instructions to make a new creature (the baby). </p>
<p>Usually, the male makes lots and lots of his special cells, all with tails to help them move. He sends lots of them into the female, in the hope that one will swim all the way to the female egg cell and join with it: this is called “fertilising the egg”. </p>
<p>The female makes very few of her special cells and gives them the size and covering they need to let a male sperm cell join with them to make one fertilised cell. Then, the fertilised egg can use the full set of instructions – half from the egg cell and half from the sperm cell – to start growing into a baby. </p>
<p>In animals like humans, the baby grows a lot inside the female before it is born. But in birds like chickens, the egg cell is put into a huge package to feed and protect fertilised eggs while they grown into a baby. We call the whole package “the egg”.</p>
<p>It takes about a day to wrap all the packaging around the egg cell. Most of the layers around the egg cell are soft, but the final wrapper is the hard shell. The shell takes the longest time to make (about 19 hours). The chicken has a clever way of “lending” hard material (calcium carbonate) from her bones to make the shell. She then has to replace the calcium carbonate in her bones by eating more at the next meal.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239359/original/file-20181004-52672-1smm3xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Adorable chicks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-farmer-holding-baby-chicks-chickens-582137842?src=U1kn4au3ObxuQKwgk8v28w-2-69">Shutterstock.</a></span>
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<p>The female has to be very careful about when she uses her precious eggs cells to try and make a baby. Lots of animals take one egg each month out of the store they have inside their body. Once its out of the store, the egg goes to a part of their body where a sperm could join up with it to fertilise it. </p>
<p>Other creatures, including many kinds of birds, choose a time to release several of their eggs to try and make a group of babies all at once (often called a “litter” for animals and a “clutch” for birds). </p>
<p>The size of a clutch is different for different kinds of bird: for chickens, it is around 12 eggs. In nature, when the female chicken has laid about 12 eggs, she stops releasing egg cells from her body stores. But if humans keep taking the eggs away, the female chicken will keep laying more eggs.</p>
<p>When the female releases the egg cell from her body store, she does not know whether a male sperm cell will come and fertilise it or not. But her body still sends them out from the store, just in case there is sperm to fertilise the egg. </p>
<p>In order not to waste eggs, the female of many kinds of creature (ranging from insects, through garden birds to reindeer) stop releasing eggs from their body store for much of the year, to make sure the babies don’t arrive in the winter time when it is difficult to get enough food for them. </p>
<p>As I mentioned before, humans have gradually changed female chickens over many years so that their bodies don’t stop releasing eggs in the winter, but some traditional breeds still do go “off lay”.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Have you got a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to us. You can:</em></p>
<p><em>* Email your question to curiouskids@theconversation.com
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* Tell us on <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationUK">Twitter</a> by tagging <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationEDU">@ConversationUK</a> with the hashtag #curiouskids, or
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p><em>More <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/curious-kids-36782?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=CuriousKidsUK">Curious Kids</a> articles, written by academic experts:</em></p>
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<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-whats-the-history-of-aircraft-squawk-codes-and-how-do-they-work-103102?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=CuriousKidsUK">What’s the history of aircraft squawk codes and how do they work? – Daniel, age 12, Perth, Australia</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-can-chickens-run-around-after-their-heads-have-been-chopped-off-103701?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=CuriousKidsUK">How can chickens run around after their heads have been chopped off? – Gaelle, age four, Bristol, UK</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-does-english-have-so-many-different-spelling-rules-98831?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=CuriousKidsUK">Why does English have so many different spelling rules? – Melania, age 12, Strathfield, Australia</a></em></p></li>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Burton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Having looked after chickens for generations, humans are pretty good at getting them to keep on laying eggs.Emily Burton, Associate Professor in Poultry Science, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/883022017-12-01T05:59:48Z2017-12-01T05:59:48ZProposed poultry standards leave Australia trailing behind other industrialised countries<p>Battery cages will not be phased out of Australia’s chicken farms, according to a draft of <a href="http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au/poultry/">industry guidelines</a> released this week. </p>
<p>The proposed <a href="http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au/poultry/">Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry</a>, currently open for public consultation, will if approved form the basis of federal and state legislation on poultry welfare. </p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au/files/2015/07/Public-Cons-Version-Poultry-non-cage-systems-support-paper-Oct-16.pdf">supporting paper</a> to the standards argues that extra cage space does not guarantee better welfare for hens. Further, it claims that battery cages allow better inspection and more efficient management of the birds, the biosecurity risks and the environmental impact. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-know-what-youre-getting-when-you-buy-free-range-eggs-81675">How to know what you're getting when you buy free-range eggs</a>
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<p>But continuing battery farming flies in the face of a global trend, as both countries and consumers turn against small cages.</p>
<h2>Why do we battery farm?</h2>
<p>In the latter half of the last century, a system of restraining laying hens in rows of small cages (like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_cage">cells in a battery</a>), with up to five in each, became popular as a means of maintaining good health and high productivity in large numbers of birds. </p>
<p>This was introduced to meet a growing demand for national <a href="http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/battery-hens-and-broiler-chickens">self-sufficiency in food production</a> after two world wars which threatened, and at times delivered, widespread famine. Now the world has moved on and global trade is flourishing, but the battery cage remains. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-comes-first-the-free-range-chicken-or-the-free-range-egg-77869">What comes first: the free-range chicken or the free-range egg?</a>
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<p>It was not long before the poor welfare of birds in these “battery cages” became a concern for consumers. In 1964, Ruth Harrison’s <a href="https://www.cabi.org/bookshop/book/9781780642840">Animal Machines</a> described the restriction on birds’ behaviour; their inability to forage for food, flap their wings, preen and dust-bathe; and the strange, injurious plucking of other birds’ feathers that is so common in these small spaces. </p>
<p>Scientists then proved that birds had a strong motivation to perform many of the behaviours that were rendered impossible in the cages, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0376635795000275">laying eggs in a nest</a>. They also found that birds in small cages are <a href="https://www.european-poultry-science.com/Welfare-of-laying-hens-housed-in-cages-and-in-aviaries-what-about-fearfulness,QUlEPTQyMTc1MTAmTUlEPTE2MTAxNA.html">more fearful</a> than those in more spacious accommodation. </p>
<p>Research has also shown that hen don’t adapt to the cages, because the longer they are confined the more they compensate by <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347287800635">flapping and stretching when released</a>. </p>
<h2>Moving away from battery farming</h2>
<p>In 1999 the <a href="http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/battery-hens-and-broiler-chickens">European Union</a> announced a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Council_Directive_1999/74/EC">ban on battery cages from 2012</a>, 20 years after <a href="https://www.upc-online.org/battery_hens/SwissHens.pdf">Switzerland</a> became the first country in the world to phase them out. <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10891877">New Zealand</a> and <a href="https://www.cfhs.ca/canadas_battery_cage_phase_out_officially_begins">Canada</a> are now in their phase-out period, ending all battery cage egg production in 2022 and 2032, respectively. </p>
<p>In the United States, a state-by-state ban has been progressing, often stimulated by the requirements of retail outlets. So far <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/battery_cages.html">three states, California, Michigan and Ohio</a>, have taken action to end the production of eggs in battery cages. Several major retailers have now committed to cage-free eggs. </p>
<p>While Australia’s draft standards conclude that birds in battery cages have an acceptable level of welfare, many Australians don’t agree. The proportion of caged eggs sold in supermarkets has fallen from <a href="https://www.australianeggs.org.au/who-we-are/annual-reports/#item-818">75% to 49%</a> over the past decade. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/double-standards-in-animal-ethics-why-is-a-lab-mouse-better-protected-than-a-cow-75810">Double standards in animal ethics: why is a lab mouse better protected than a cow?</a>
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<p>The supermarket chains recognise their customers’ concerns and are phasing out eggs from battery cages: <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/corporate-responsibility/responsible-sourcing/responsible-sourcing">Coles</a> from their own brand from 2013, and <a href="http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/woolworths-to-phase-out-cage-eggs.php">Woolworths</a> and <a href="http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/aldi-caged-eggs-to-be-phased-out-as-supermarket-bows-to-customer-pressure/news-story/be8ccf0680bf59e48192ba83936fe2fb">Aldi</a> applying the ban to all eggs from 2025.</p>
<p>The European Union has developed and supported <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12365505">furnished cages</a>, which are much larger than previous cages and specifically provide necessary “enrichment items” such as <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/325142/FAWC_opinion_on_enriched_cages_for_laying_hens.pdf">perches, nests, and litter for pecking and scratching</a>. </p>
<p>The Australian standards argue that these are only required for the birds’ mental state, not their biological functioning. This view implies that a hen’s mental suffering is unconnected to its welfare, a claim that has been steadily eroding in the face of <a href="https://www.cabi.org/vetmedresource/ebook/20143282089">research into animal consciousness</a>. </p>
<p>For example, my research group recently discovered that <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347217301707">hens’ vocalisations</a> are more informative to other hens than thought possible, demonstrating their capacity for rich communication. </p>
<p>To deny the significance of an animal’s mental state is to deny the premise of animal welfare at all. Without this consideration, animals would basically have the same rights as plants. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-animal-welfare-laws-but-they-dont-stop-the-suffering-30703">We have animal welfare laws but they don't stop the suffering</a>
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<p>Despite this, the proposed standards’ accompanying paper relies on narrowly restricted studies, such as a report from industry body Australian Egg that claims there are no difference in the stress levels of birds in <a href="https://www.australianeggs.org.au/dmsdocument/529-non-invasive-assessment-of-stress-in-commercial-housing-systems">battery cages, barns and free-range farms</a>.</p>
<p>Only 12 flocks in total were studied. The stress hormone cortisol was used as the basis of comparison between farm types, even though <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262851068_Monitoring_stress_hormone_metabolites_as_a_useful_non-invasive_tool_for_welfare_assessment_in_farm_animals">little enters the egg and confounding variables are likely to affect cortisol levels</a>.</p>
<p>These limitations are why much animal science today looks at welfare in terms of behaviour, disease and lifetime measures as well as biological markers. </p>
<p>It’s disappointing to see Australia’s welfare standards trail behind much of the world and the clearly expressed attitude of many Australians. With the standards open for consultation until February 26, it is to be hoped that consumer advocate groups, researchers and members of the public register their concern. </p>
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<p><em>The <a href="http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au/poultry/poultry-public-consultation/">public consultation period</a> runs until February 26.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88302/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clive Phillips consults to Voiceless as a member of their Scientific Committee and is on the Board of Minding Animals. He has received funding from ASEAN for the development of poultry standards for ASEAN countries. </span></em></p>Proposed national standards for chicken farming argue that battery cages are not a significant detriment to hens’ health.Clive Phillips, Professor of Animal Welfare, Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/816752017-07-31T19:53:17Z2017-07-31T19:53:17ZHow to know what you’re getting when you buy free-range eggs<p>Last week, egg producer Snowdale Holdings was penalised A$1 million for <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/egg-producer-penalised-750000-for-misleading-free-range-claims">falsely labelling their eggs as free-range</a>. Snowdale, one of the biggest producers in the Australian market, owns brands including Eggs by Ellah, Swan Valley Free Range, and Wanneroo Free Range. </p>
<p>Given the significantly higher prices generally charged for free-range eggs, you could be forgiven for having doubts over what you’re getting in the supermarket. Even when egg cartons are legally accurate, the government definition of “free range” might not mean what you think it does. </p>
<p>But you don’t need to shop blind: there are a range of resources that can help you find egg producers that follow best-practise standards, avoid farming practices that concern you and understand what government guidelines really mean.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-comes-first-the-free-range-chicken-or-the-free-range-egg-77869">What comes first: the free-range chicken or the free-range egg?</a>
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<h2>What’s in an egg label?</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2017.1310986">Previous research</a> has shown that people buy free-range eggs for a range of reasons, including taste and quality, as well as concern for animal welfare.</p>
<p>But unlike other labels such as nutritional information panels or best-before dates, the “free-range” claim is not regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). In fact, no claims about production methods are subject to this kind of regulation. <a href="http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/about/whatwedo/Pages/default.aspx">Food labelling regulation</a> by FSANZ is about what a food contains, rather than how it is produced.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180286/original/file-20170731-9675-1g1ffk2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Eggs by Ellah, owned by Snowdale Holdings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/27304953553/in/photolist-bnL9Hg-4BCNfM-4BH6bU-HAR2pg-bsnZg6">Alpha/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>However, there is an <a href="http://consumerlaw.gov.au/communiques/meeting-8-2/">Australian definition of “free-range”</a>, created in March 2016 under Australian consumer law. Essentially, it means that the chickens have “meaningful and regular access to the outdoors” and that outdoor stocking densities are no more than 10,000 birds per hectare.</p>
<p>This has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/free-range-egg-labelling-scrambles-the-message-for-consumers-57060">hotly debated</a>, with <a href="https://www.rspca.org.au/free-range-standards">animal welfare</a> and <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/meat-fish-and-eggs/eggs/articles/free-range-eggs">consumer groups</a> arguing that this is not what most people would consider free-range, while producer groups have <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2016-03-31/free-range-egg-definition-chickens-welcomed/7286772">supported the standard</a>. </p>
<p>The new regulations also requires producers to “prominently disclose” the outdoor stocking density, and we are now starting to see that on packaging.</p>
<h2>What does free-range really mean?</h2>
<p>In practice, stocking chooks at 10,000 per hectare and giving them regular access to the outdoors, might not result in animals that are especially free (or “cruelty-free” – another claim showing up on an increasing number of egg cartons).</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/free-range-egg-labelling-scrambles-the-message-for-consumers-57060">Free-range egg labelling scrambles the message for consumers</a>
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<p>For a start, CSIRO has published a <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/book/3451">code of practice for animal welfare</a> that recommends farmers should have no more than 1,500 birds per hectare. If you want to buy from producers that meet that standard, the consumer group Choice has an app called <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/meat-fish-and-eggs/eggs/articles/australiawide-hunt-for-free-range-eggs-with-new-cluckar-050417">CluckAR</a> that can scan egg cartons in the store and give immediate feedback on the brand’s farming conditions. </p>
<p>Choice also provides a table of <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/meat-fish-and-eggs/eggs/articles/what-free-range-eggs-meet-the-model-code">free-range egg producers</a>. Reading that table – and from my own discussions with Australian egg producers – it’s clear that price is not a totally reliable indicator of stocking density. </p>
<p>However, stocking density is only one factor in how hens are treated. Some independent certifications have more stringent guidelines. The <a href="https://austorganic.com/australian-certified-organic-standard2/">Australian Certified Organic Standard</a>, as well as specifying a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare for set stocking systems and 2,500 for rotational systems, also prohibits practices like withholding feed and water to induce moulting. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=278&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=278&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=278&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180290/original/file-20170731-23754-13itcfr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Australian Organic certification indicates a lower stocking density, and more stringent cruelty-free practises, than the government definition of ‘free range’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Australian Certified Organic</span></span>
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<p>Hens naturally moult in autumn, when they <a href="https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/ps/82/6/10.1093/ps/82.6.971/2/poultrysci82-0971.pdf?Expires=1501557664&Signature=XWj3ZY9y27C78h8vWB3fExx9eKpnv5wQ2APmms8qWIIGZ5aAjxCUYxlY6v4NqpoX9%7EskR9G0a8ACxWSqj6BDiFB8MOg7l8ou9Ln9-VRsHQfyXaEwX8hn1ZBCWTXg4h1IdDcNmFGilI38T0boN4LPdLa2Tf%7EOWoNDepsTi5qs4sU2vpr9FCY0EQTESiV4I74vXM2omUpC02vrK-uBT3rCWFhoxyx8rgAUdN3TMhAhgfHWk%7EctbzqsSoE5lVEd8lOqk76-2C0Zo6HCl81i-d-6-eLTz8Kwc%7E7RBLE15FGCk3XS1W3--n8q46nEozJ9IdJ8wLXbKTcMzgSUHqRvjaF5jQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIUCZBIA4LVPAVW3Q">lose significant body weight and stop laying eggs</a> while their reproductive tract rejuvenates. For greater control over when hens produce eggs, as well as extending their hens’ laying lives, farmers can induce moulting by <a href="https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/induced-molting-of-commercial-layers">reducing their feed, or withholding food altogether for certain periods</a>. Although heavily regulated at the state level in Australia (hens may not go without food entirely for <a href="http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare/animal-welfare-legislation/victorian-codes-of-practice-for-animal-welfare/code-of-accepted-farming-practice-for-the-welfare-of-poultry">more than 24 hours</a>), it is <a href="http://kb.rspca.org.au/RSPCA-Policy-B4-Farm-animal-husbandry-and-management_167.html">considered cruel by animal welfare groups</a>. </p>
<p>Similarly <a href="http://www.humanechoice.com.au/certified_humane_choice_standards">Humane Choice</a> recommends a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare. And unlike the government definition of free-range, which calls for “meaningful and regular” access to the outside, Humane Choice standards specify that hens can “forage on the land, move untethered and uncaged”. </p>
<p>Of course, it is important to note that free-range farms are not free of animal welfare issues, such as <a href="http://kb.rspca.org.au/how-can-feather-pecking-be-managed-in-non-cage-layer-hen-systems_570.html">feather pecking</a>, where hens pull out the feathers of other birds. There are further challenges is managing exposure to weather or predators to consider. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2016-12-16/caged-free-range-egg-industry/8126400">Caged-egg producers argue</a> that consumers should be able to choose from a range of production methods.</p>
<p>However, if animal welfare, sustainability, and labelling are things that you are concerned about, then do your own research and identify the products that align with your values. Don’t rely on a label to tell you what is ethical.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81675/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Bray's salary is partly funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Project (LP130100419) which includes contributions from industry partners Coles Group Ltd, Elders Limited, Richard Gunner’s Fine Meats Pty Ltd, and the South Australian Research and Development Institute. She is currently undertaking consultancy work for Animal Health Australia. She received scholarships from the Pig Research and Development Corporation (now Australian Pork Limited) between 1991 and 1997. The University of Adelaide is a partner in the Animal Welfare Science Centre.</span></em></p>After Snowdale Holdings was penalised A$1 million for lying about their eggs being free-range, here are some tips on getting what you pay for in the supermarket.Heather Bray, Senior Research Associate, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/778692017-05-18T00:12:03Z2017-05-18T00:12:03ZWhat comes first: the free-range chicken or the free-range egg?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169745/original/file-20170517-2399-17qo18r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many people believe free-range eggs are tastier and more 'natural'.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andres Stapff/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many shoppers buy free-range eggs because they think the eggs are superior, rather than out of explicit concern for the hens’ welfare, according to our <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2017.1310986">new research</a>.</p>
<p>We asked 75 people in focus groups and shopping mall interviews about what food choices they make and why. When we asked shoppers what they look for in terms of products that promote animal welfare, the most common answers involved free-range or cage-free eggs.</p>
<p>We then asked people why they chose these products. A strong theme emerged: many shoppers preferred these types of eggs because they viewed them as higher quality, having better taste and colour, more nutritious, and safer than eggs produced using other methods such as barn systems.</p>
<p>Our participants attributed these features to the idea that free-range (and cage-free) egg production was “more natural”, and in particular that hens had access to a “natural diet”. This type of diet in turn led to what they described as more nutritious and safer products.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether these claims are true or not, our survey results are consistent with <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0160424">other research</a> suggesting that food labelled with humane production methods prompts people to imbue it with certain characteristics, such as better taste and higher nutritional value.</p>
<h2>Responsible shopping</h2>
<p>To put it in philosophical terms, ethical consumption is about considering “moral others” when we make purchases. In other words, ethical shopping involves thinking about what is best for our communities, the environment and non-human animals. </p>
<p>In contrast, when we act solely as consumers we tend to focus on our own needs and preferences, or those of our family and others close to us. Increasingly we are being encouraged to consider moral others when we buy food, and free-range eggs and meat are key examples of this trend.</p>
<p>Of course, our participants may well care about the welfare of chickens (and other animals). But, when justifying their choices, our research showed ideas of better welfare and better product quality are strongly linked, and often it is the latter that seals the deal. </p>
<p>Our research also implies that consumers think about animal welfare in much broader terms than suggested by the so-called “<a href="http://kb.rspca.org.au/Five-freedoms-for-animals_318.html">five freedoms</a>” used by scientists to define animal welfare.</p>
<p>Our other important finding was that people who bought free-range eggs did not tend to make meat purchases based on similar welfare claims. One reason given was that free-range eggs are seen as relatively affordable, whereas free-range meat was viewed as too expensive. </p>
<p>Note, however, that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11673-013-9448-5">some researchers argue</a> that many free-range eggs available in Australia (particularly the cheaper ones) don’t necessarily resolve concerns about animal welfare and health or other ethical issues, as they are produced using large-scale production and distribution systems.</p>
<p>We also found that participants considered the labelling on eggs to be much clearer than on other types of food products that incorporate welfare claims, despite ongoing debates in Australia about <a href="https://theconversation.com/free-range-egg-labelling-scrambles-the-message-for-consumers-57060">labelling standards</a>, including what should count as “free range”. </p>
<p>Several people in our study also indicated that they kept their own hens, or sourced eggs from people who did, to ensure that they were eating only “free-range” products.</p>
<p>Overall, our research highlights the complexities of ethical consumption and the trade-offs that people make between a range of factors, including taste and price. This suggests that common assumptions about why people buy free-range eggs may be too simplistic.</p>
<p>A shared understanding of what “good” farm animal welfare means and why it matters is an essential starting point for a much broader conversation. We need to debate how we can sustainably and humanely produce affordable, safe and nutritious food. </p>
<p>Consumer demand alone doesn’t tell us <a href="https://theconversation.com/tastes-like-moral-superiority-what-makes-food-good-59581">how people define “good food”</a> or “good eggs”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77869/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel A. Ankeny receives funding from the Australian Research Council including DP110105062 "What Shall We Have For Tea? Toward a New Discourse of Food Ethics in Contemporary Australia" which funded the research discussed, and LP130100419 on animal welfare which includes contributions from industry partners Coles Group Ltd, Elders Limited, Richard Gunner’s Fine Meats Pty Ltd, and the South Australian Research and Development Institute. The University of Adelaide is a partner in the Animal Welfare Science Centre.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by the Australian Research Council (DP110105062 What Shall We Have For Tea? Toward a New Discourse of Food Ethics in Contemporary Australia).
Heather Bray's salary is partly funded (50%) by an Australian Research Council Linkage Project (LP130100419) which includes contributions from industry partners Coles Group Ltd, Elders Limited, Richard Gunner’s Fine Meats Pty Ltd, and the South Australian Research and Development Institute. She received scholarships from the Pig Research and Development Corporation (now Australian Pork Limited) between 1991 and 1997. The University of Adelaide is a partner in the Animal Welfare Science Centre.</span></em></p>Many shoppers choose free-range eggs because they think they are tastier and healthier, rather than being motivated purely by concerns for hens’ welfare, a new study has found.Rachel A. Ankeny, Professor of History, University of AdelaideHeather Bray, Senior Research Associate, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/620832016-11-09T21:39:37Z2016-11-09T21:39:37ZCage-free sounds good, but does it mean a better life for chickens?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145120/original/image-20161109-16691-f4d708.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What is a good life for an egg-laying hen?</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Massachusetts is the latest state to vote on a ballot initiative to increase the amount of space that animals are allowed in industrial food production systems. It prohibits keeping pigs, cows and egg-laying hens <a href="http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/government/2015-petitions/15-11-summary.pdf">in tight confinement that</a> “prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely.”</p>
<p>You might think <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/08/voters-decide-measure-mandate-cage-free-eggs/BGJTX5ETCt2pKppz9AqTTM/story.html">its passage</a> is a major moral victory, at least for chickens, but is it? As a philosophy professor who’s worked on food issues for my entire career, I’ve come to believe that questions of animal welfare are more complicated than they seem at first glance. It’s not a clear choice which of the possible living conditions for egg-laying hens – enriched cages, cage-free systems, free-range setups – serve them the best.</p>
<h2>What does humanity owe chickens, anyway?</h2>
<p>The philosophical question of <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-animal/">whether animals deserve any kind of moral consideration</a> has been debated <a href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100915190">at least since the ancient Greeks</a>.</p>
<p>At one far end of the spectrum are those who say nonhumans cannot be regarded as proper subjects of moral concern. Some hold this on the <a href="http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVanswers/2009/01-13a.html">basis of divine revelation</a> – the other animals were put here for humankind to use as they see fit – while others deny that animals have the kind of subjectivity or experience that could give rise to a moral duty or obligation on our part. The 16th-century philosopher Rene Descartes <a href="http://seop.illc.uva.nl/entries/descartes/">likened animals to machines</a>.</p>
<p>All the way at the other end of the spectrum are those who argue that what we owe to animals is <a href="http://tomregan.info/books/animal-rights/case-for-animal-rights/">not unlike what we owe to each other</a>. We should not kill them, nor should we cause them pain or suffering save under highly unusual circumstances. We <a href="http://www.abolitionistapproach.com">certainly should not eat them</a>.</p>
<p>Eggs occupy a theoretically ambiguous place on this spectrum, as it is possible to produce them without killing any chickens. Nevertheless modern egg production does involve killing chickens. First, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/06/13/us-egg-producers-to-eliminate-routine-killing-male-chicks-by-2020/">virtually all male chicks are destroyed</a> within a few moments of hatching (though the egg industry has pledged to end this practice by 2020, using technology to determine the sex of fertilized eggs rather than waiting for chicks to hatch).</p>
<p>And egg producers will not bear the expense of continuing to feed hens after they have <a href="http://www.henclass.com/how-long-can-she-go/">gotten too old to lay eggs</a>. When the rate of lay declines, henhouses are “<a href="http://henhub.eu/eol/">depopulated</a>,” meaning birds are removed, killed and their carcasses are composted. As such, those who occupy the ethical vegetarian end of the animal ethics spectrum are no more supportive of the egg industry than they are of beef or pork production. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145270/original/image-20161109-19089-x0hmkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chickens without cages don’t live in Eden.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What’s best for the hens?</h2>
<p>Egg production has been a key target of animal welfare initiatives because <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2008.01.009">at one time layers were so crowded</a> that they literally had to stand on top of one another in the wire cages used by the modern egg industry. We can’t be sure these stocking densities have been entirely eliminated, but the vast majority of table eggs today come from chickens that have at least enough space to stand on the floor of their cage.</p>
<p>More important than these increased space allotments is the introduction of amenities that clearly matter to chickens: nest boxes, scratch pads and perches. These enhancements allow the birds to engage in the perching, dust-bathing, nesting and foraging behaviors they are highly motivated to perform.</p>
<p>By 2010, a consensus emerged among producers and some activists for moving to much larger cages that provided <a href="http://www2.sustainableeggcoalition.org/final-results">opportunities for most of chickens’ natural behaviors</a> – the so-called enriched or colony cage. From the producer perspective, enriched cages represented the best compromise between slightly higher costs and improved welfare for hens. But <a href="http://cagefreefuture.com/wp/commitments/">recent pledges to source eggs from cage-free facilities</a> have virtually taken the opportunity for enriched cages off the table. And that is where the moral uncertainty begins to turn wicked.</p>
<h2>Out of the cage, into the fire</h2>
<p>Cage-free and free-range systems clearly do a better job of <a href="http://www2.sustainableeggcoalition.org/final-results">allowing hens to express behaviors</a> that are similar to those of wild jungle fowl. They can move around, and they have better opportunities for scratching, dust bathing and foraging. However, in comparison to enriched cages, <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ufaw/aw/2008/00000017/00000004/art00005">hens in cage-free and free-range facilities</a> suffer injuries simply because they move around more. Access to the outdoors often means that <a href="http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/chicken-coops-housing/how-to-protect-chickens-from-hawks/">predators also have access to hens</a>, and some are inevitably taken by hawks, foxes or the like.</p>
<p>A curious ethical point is that <a href="http://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2010-0138">people seem to be roughly split</a> on whether being chased and eaten by a hawk or a dog is a bad thing from a chicken’s perspective. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=D6FpUP0OdLcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=CONSUMER+PREFERENCES+FOR+FARM+ANIMAL+WELFARE:+RESULTS+FROM+A+TELEPHONE+SURVEY+OF+U.S.+HOUSEHOLD&ots=DYfXivA37d&sig=30ZrVi8KtcsLrlOQ28P8jtJYl-M#v=onepage&q=CONSUMER%20PREFERENCES%20FOR%20FARM%20ANIMAL%20WELFARE%3A%20RESULTS%20FROM%20A%20TELEPHONE%20SURVEY%20OF%20U.S.%20HOUSEHOLD&f=false">In research done at Oklahoma State University</a>, 40 percent of respondents saw the suffering of animals as the root issue for ethics, while 46 percent judged that pain, suffering or discomfort would not be significant if it was consonant with what an animal would experience in nature. Getting eaten by predators is certainly what chickens and their close relatives experience in the wild. (The remaining 14 percent of people surveyed didn’t care much about animal welfare beyond being sure that animals’ basic needs are met.)</p>
<p>Further complicating the “freedom” of cage-free and free-range enclosures, hens will peck one another in an effort to establish a dominance order. In small groups (the 40 to 60 birds that would be found in the enriched-cage system), this behavior generally recedes. But in flocks of 100,000 or more chickens, the least dominant birds can be subjected to so much pecking from other hens that their welfare is clearly worse than it would be in an enriched cage. Welfare scientists tend to favor aviaries (cage-free) over floor systems (free-range) because they allow better perching and thus give less dominant birds better places to hide. </p>
<p>Egg producers limit the damage that birds can do to each other by <a href="http://certifiedhumane.org/beak-trimming/">trimming off the sharp tip of their beak</a> (which is also controversial). Even still, higher mortality from pecking gets treated as a cost of business in cage-free production facilities. </p>
<p>It is possible to house chickens in groups of 40 to 60 birds where pecking orders become stable quickly, but the roughly 6’ by 12’ enclosures for these groups look suspiciously like a cage to most people. This option may no longer be an option, however. Not only do ballot initiatives like the one in Massachusetts pass with overwhelming support, grocery stores and many chain restaurants are <a href="http://cagefreefuture.com/wp/commitments/">now pledging</a> to abandon suppliers who utilize cages over the next five to 10 years.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145283/original/image-20161109-19078-xgx7py.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Consumers don’t want to feel their eggs come with a side of cruelty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Agriculture-Tour/baa9b11c323e4ae08625eb3df9b9a81a/2/0">AP Photo/Toby Talbot</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>With the best of intentions</h2>
<p>Egg production seems to be especially susceptible to actions where the public is highly confident that they’re in the right – even while many who’ve look closely at the alternatives are far less sure about how it feels to be a chicken in these operations.</p>
<p>Massachusetts voters thought chickens – as well as the pigs and cows that become pork and veal – would be better off in less tight quarters. Since the ban applies to the sale of any products from animals raised in restrictive cages, the ballot measure could have repercussions for food suppliers based far beyond Massachusetts. Opponents of the initiative predict the price of a dozen eggs will spike.</p>
<p>So do chickens benefit from more space, and should we turn them out of their cages? If we are trying to help them live a more natural kind of existence, then maybe we should. If we are interested in limiting the injuries they suffer from being pecked by other birds, as well as from getting hunted and killed by hawks, dogs and other predators, maybe not.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62083/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul B Thompson receives funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He serves as an unpaid member of the United Egg Producer's advisory group for animal welfare, as well as the advisory group on farm animal welfare for the American Human Association </span></em></p>Voters in Massachusetts passed a ballot measure that assumed so. But a philosopher of animal welfare suggests the ethical issues involved are trickier than a yes/no vote would suggest.Paul B. Thompson, Professor & W K Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/570602016-03-31T23:57:03Z2016-03-31T23:57:03ZFree-range egg labelling scrambles the message for consumers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117026/original/image-20160331-9712-ci1pci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eggs cartons will need to show stocking density on the carton.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Egg image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian governments have agreed on a <a href="https://www.finance.nsw.gov.au/about-us/media-releases/agreement-reached-free-range-egg-labelling-standards">new national standard</a> for <a href="http://www.treasury.gov.au/ConsultationsandReviews/Consultations/2015/Free-range-egg-labelling">labelling “free range” eggs</a>, in a bid to clear up <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10383441.2014.980879">years of consumer confusion</a>. </p>
<p>The standard will be legally enforceable under <a href="http://consumerlaw.gov.au/">Australian consumer law</a> from next year. It states that eggs can be labelled free range if hens have “meaningful and regular access to an outdoor range” and an outdoor “stocking density” of up to 10,000 birds per hectare. The stocking density of the hens – the number of hens per hectare - will also be labelled on the pack.</p>
<p>The new standard also follows <a href="https://accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-releases-guide-to-provide-clarity-on-%E2%80%98free-range%E2%80%99-egg-claims">action by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission</a> (ACCC) against several egg producers, who it alleged had misled consumers about whether their eggs were truly free range. </p>
<p>But the new definition of free range could perpetuate confusion and controversy for consumers.</p>
<h2>Outdoor access?</h2>
<p>Under the standard, eggs labelled free range will need to come from hens that have access to the outdoors. But the hens won’t necessarily actually go outdoors. </p>
<p>Most free-range eggs on supermarket shelves come from production systems where hens are housed in large sheds of 20,000 or more birds, with access to the outdoors via openings along the sides of the sheds. A relatively small number of birds may be outdoors at any time, depending on a range of factors including the size of the flock, the design of the barn, the number of openings, and the conditions outdoors. </p>
<p>These large-scale free-range production systems <a href="http://www2.sustainableeggcoalition.org/research-results/">do not necessarily improve the health and welfare of hens compared with barn systems</a> (sheds with no openings to the outdoors) or “enriched cages” (group cages designed to enable hens to express some natural behaviours). </p>
<p>The conditions that produce free-range eggs at large scale and low price will inevitably lead to <a href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5140400&fileId=S004393399100017X">overcrowding and inadequate supervision at times</a>, and this may lead to cannibalism and other problems.</p>
<p>Many consumer and animal welfare advocates have argued that the term “free range” should be reserved for smaller systems, where hens range on pasture and where all hens are able to express natural behaviours such as foraging, pecking and dust bathing. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://accc.gov.au/system/files/1029_Free%20range%20Eggs%20guidelines_FA.pdf">ACCC‘s view</a> is that eggs labelled free range should come from egg farms where “most hens move about freely outdoors on most ordinary days”. </p>
<p>Large producers have argued that the ACCC’s definition of free range is unworkable and that their production systems are designed to give hens “<a href="http://www.treasury.gov.au/%7E/media/Treasury/Consultations%20and%20Reviews/Consultations/2015/Free%20range%20egg%20labelling/Submissions/PDF/Egg_Farmers_Australia.ashx">the freedom to choose whether or not to go outside</a>”. The new standard supports this position, enabling eggs to be labelled as free range as long as hens have “meaningful and regular access” to the outdoors.</p>
<p>However, regular access doesn’t necessarily mean that hens will regularly go outside. And if they don’t go outside, how meaningful is their access?</p>
<h2>How many hens?</h2>
<p>The stocking density of hens has also been a controversial issue in the debate about free range. The <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/meat-fish-and-eggs/eggs/articles/what-free-range-eggs-meet-the-model-code">stocking densities of free-range hens</a> vary from 1,500 birds per hectare or less, for small production systems, to 10,000 birds or more per hectare for large systems. </p>
<p>Smaller producers, the consumer group Choice and the Australian Greens have all argued that eggs labelled free range should have a maximum stocking density of 1,500 birds per hectare. This is the outdoor stocking density recommended for free-range hens under the <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/Books/download.cfm?ID=3451">Model Code of Practice</a>, the official national animal welfare guideline for poultry. </p>
<p>The new labelling standard will set a maximum outdoor stocking density for free-range hens of 10,000 birds per hectare, which is the typical stocking density of many large producers who supply to the major supermarkets, contrary to the Model Code. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/meat-fish-and-eggs/eggs/articles/choice-calls-for-bad-egg-boycott-310316">Choice</a> has called the new standard “meaningless” and has called on consumers to boycott supermarket eggs with stocking densities of 10,000 hens per hectare. </p>
<h2>Consumer confusion</h2>
<p>For consumers, the confusion around free range looks set to continue. Multiple definitions of free range will still exist. The <a href="http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/rattenbury/2016/free-range-egg-definition-a-missed-opportunity">Australian Capital Territory has already introduced egg-labelling laws</a> that define free range as 1,500 birds per hectare or less, and some brands and supermarkets will seek to differentiate their free-range eggs with different stocking densities. </p>
<p>Consumer protection will also arguably be weaker under the new standard, as it will provide producers who meet the standard with a safe harbour against ACCC action for misleading consumers.</p>
<p>Consumers will need to look at egg labels carefully. A stocking density of 1,500 or less may be the only clue to indicate that eggs are likely to have been produced under a small-scale free-range system, where most hens have access to the outdoors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57060/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Parker receives funding from the Australian Research Council to research “Regulating Food Labels: The Case of Free Range Food Products in Australia” (with Dr Gyorgy Scrinis, University of Melbourne) (DP150102168).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gyorgy Scrinis receives funding from from the Australian Research Council to research “Regulating Food Labels: The Case of Free Range Food Products in Australia” (with Prof. Christine Parker, University of Melbourne) (DP150102168).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Carey is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne on the project 'Regulating Food Labels: The case of free range food products in Australia', which is funded by the Australian Research Council. She is also a Research Fellow on the project Foodprint Melbourne, which is funded by the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation. </span></em></p>New standards for free-range eggs will limit stocking densities and mean hens must have access to outdoors.Christine Parker, Professor of Law, The University of MelbourneGyorgy Scrinis, Lecturer in Food Politics and Policy, The University of MelbourneRachel Carey, Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.