Can we believe what’s on the Label?

Unfair Trading: The Heat  is on for a legal definition for free range. ONE in six free-range eggs is not what it seems.

Whether it’s chicken, eggs or pork, there is no legal definition for ‘free range’, and this has some premium producers concerned, writes Mary O’Brien.

IF JAMIE Oliver is worried about something, then it’s hot. The chirpy chef has looked at chicken and egg production and now he is tackling the pork industry.

RSPCA Australia supports Jamie’s Oliver’s call for consumers to consider the welfare of farm animals by purchasing welfare-friendly produce.

Many people buy free-range believing the animals have had a happy life scratching, pecking and waddling their way around a farm.

The term “free-range” is mainly used in connection with eggs, chicken meat and pork. But there is no legal definition of “free-range” and a small organic farmer’s “free-range” is very different to the “free-range” of a mass egg producer with 120,000 chickens which often have little more space than their caged counterparts.

Choice consumer group has been campaigning for years for tighter regulation of the industry.

Earlier this month, free-range egg farmers renewed calls for an independent accreditation system after figures released earlier this month showed there are not enough free-range hens to produce the number of “free-range” eggs being sold.

The number-crunching was carried out by NSW Greens MP John Kaye, also a mathematician, who says one in six eggs labelled free-range on retail shelves are actually cage or barn-laid.

Buying produce with the RSPCA’s stamp of approval is one way to tackle the problem. It approves producers who meet set criteria and farms are inspected regularly so the animals have to be treated humanely. The Scheme also covers the supply, transport and slaughter stages of farming. RSPCA also recommends consumers don’t buy pork products that have been produced in intensive farming systems. Instead, look for products that are accredited by the RSPCA, such as Otway Pork or Gooralie Pork.

Accredited egg and pork producers pay a royalty to the RSPCA. All royalties from accreditation are used to pay specialist officers who carry out regular inspections of the accredited properties, to fund the development of certification standards and to fund ongoing campaigns aimed at improving the welfare of farm animals.

Organic free-range produce is another option if it has been certified by an approved organic organisation. Unfortunately, there is no independent government body policing free-range producers.

SUMMARY: Buying accredited free-range chicken or organic chicken means there is more chance the chooks have been treated well. The RSPCA plans to expand its approved farm scheme to chicken meat next year.

For the full article check out: The Age Entertainment: High Noon on the Range.

The Sydney Morning Herald : Free-range eggs claims don’t add up.

RSPCA: Jamie Oliver calls for welfare friendly produce.