Mandatory egg labelling must be hatched in NSW

Greens MP and animal welfare spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said today Woolworths' move to promote the sale of more humanely produced eggs is a positive step. She called on the NSW government to introduce mandatory labelling legislation to ensure consumers can be sure of exactly what they are buying ('Eggs in One Basket', Daily Telegraph, p. 1).

"Currently NSW shoppers can be misled by shonky labelling schemes because of an absence of mandatory labelling of how eggs are produced, whether free range, barn laid or caged," Ms Rhiannon said. 

"NSW should follow the lead of the ACT, Tasmania and the European Union where legislation requires the labelling of the particular production system that produced the eggs. In Switzerland battery eggs were banned in 1992.

"There is no obligation on an egg producer to meet legislative standards in NSW that define what is required of egg producers to earn titles for their produce like 'free range' or 'barn-laid' eggs.

"Existing consumer protection laws rely on complaints being made, investigated and prosecuted. There is no requirement on consumer bodies to pre-approve labelling.

"Marketers are free to exploit the growing desire of consumers for food that is produced ethically in a way that protects animal welfare.

"Most shoppers are well removed from the reality of farm production methods and have to trust what they read on the egg carton.

"For example, 'barn laid' eggs may sound wholesome, but the reality is the hens spend their life in doors with thousands of other hens and are subjected to beak trimming and moulting.

"Truth in labelling will benefit consumers by giving them accurate, reliable information.

"In its 2007 Report, "From Label to Liable", the animal protection think-tank Voiceless canvassed a number of options for the labelling of animal-derived food products, including a 'traffic light' labelling system to differentiate between low, medium and high levels of animal welfare.'

"Many people across Australia are waking up to the truth about how animals are farmed and are voting with their wallets by buying more ethically produced food.

"It is time the NSW government responded to this trend towards ethical eating and regulated to provide truth in labelling and promote kinder food production methods," Ms Rhiannon said.

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