Labelling: Egg production systems
On this page
- Free-range, barn laid or cage egg?
- Free-range egg standards in the Model Code include:
- Accreditation schemes for free-range
- Regulating
- Animal welfare
- How was this consumer information developed?
- How does the NSW Food Authority interpret the national Model Code for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry 4th Edition?
- Egg safety
Free-range, barn laid or cage egg?
There are three systems of egg production that are guided by the national Model code of practice for the welfare of animals - domestic poultry 4th edition
According to the Model Code, for eggs to be defined:
- free-range: hens are housed in sheds and have access to an outdoor range
- barn laid: hens are free to roam within a shed which may have more than one level
- cage: hens are continuously housed in cages within a shed
Irrespective of the system of production:
- producers must comply with the animal welfare provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979
- eggs are a good source of nutrition
- food safety issues for eggs are the same and these are regulated by Food Regulation 2010
Egg producers must meet the minimum standards of care for hens for each system of production as set out in the Model Code.
Free-range egg standards in the Model Code include:
- hens have access to an outdoor area (range) during daylight hours for a minimum of eight hours per day, shaded areas and shelter from rain and windbreaks
- there is a maximum of 1500 hens per hectare, however, higher numbers are acceptable if hens are regularly rotated onto fresh range areas and continuing fodder cover is provided
- acceptable and unacceptable animal management practices
As hens are housed in sheds when not out on the range, the Model Code sets out guidelines for the maximum number of hens that can be housed and this applies to both free-range and barn laid systems of production.
Accreditation schemes for free-range
There are a number of voluntary egg production accreditation schemes operating in NSW. Egg producers can choose which scheme to be accredited with.
The schemes listed below all adopt the minimum standards outlined in the Model Code and add their own specific standards to accredit eggs as free range. All the schemes include independent auditing.
The NSW Food Authority has reviewed the following schemes to ensure they comply with the Model Code.
| Scheme Standards for Free Range | |||||
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| Model Code | Hens have access to the outdoors and shelter? | Maximum of 1500 hens per hectare or higher where hens are regularly moved onto fresh range areas | Acceptable animal management practices defined? | ||
| Accreditation Scheme
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| Australian Egg Corporation Limited | Current Standard: Egg Corp Assured | ||||
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Complies with Model Code | ||||
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Outdoor areas where hens range are designed to protect hens from extremes of weather and temperature | 1500 hens per hectare with higher numbers allowed if hens are regularly rotated onto fresh range areas | Beak trimming must be done by an accredited person | Logos and labelling Egg Corp Assured used for all eggs not just free-range Carton must state how the egg was produced - caged, barn or free-range Producers use own labels |
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| Australian Egg Corporation Limited | Proposed Standard: Farm Standard Eggs Standards Australia | ||||
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TBA |
AECL is seeking Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approval for the standard. More details will be provided once finalised. |
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| AECL is seeking Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approval for the standard. More details will be provided once finalised. Proposed 20 000 hens per hectare (maximum) |
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| Biological Farmers of Australia Ltd | Australian Certified Organic Standard 2010 | ||||
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Complies with Model Code + additional standards | ||||
| Hens shall have access to pastured areas during the majority of daylight hours Sufficient shade will be maintained where hens forage |
1500 hens per hectare on range; up to 2500 hens per hectare where rotation on to new range is practiced | Systematic beak trimming as well as the use of poly peepers are prohibited Withholding feed and water to induce moulting is prohibited Use of antibiotics is prohibited |
Logos and labelling Certified egg producers can use the Australian Certified Organic logo |
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| Free Range Egg and Poultry Associaton of Australia | Free Range Farmers Association Standards Farm Accreditation Standard – (2010) Free Range Eggs |
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Complies with Model Code + additional standards | ||||
| Hens must have unrestricted access to the range during daylight hours The area where hens range must have adequate shade/wind/predator protection |
1500 hens per hectare (maximum) and the density of hens must be sustainable | Not permitted for hens to have beak trimming or other practices | Logos and labelling Members of the Association are authorised to display the Free Range Farmers' Association logo |
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| Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia Limited | Free Range and Poultry Standard - Egg Production | ||||
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Complies with Model Code + additional standards | ||||
| Hens have unrestricted access to range outdoors during daylight hours Outdoor area where the hens range must have shade, shelter and palatable vegetation |
1500 hens per hectare (maximum) The number of hens per hectare outside the shed depends on the sustainability of the land |
Beak trimming is only allowed in accordance with Egg Industry Accreditation Program Induced moulting is not permitted Use of poly peepers is not permitted |
Logos and labelling Certified members allowed to use the Free Range Egg & Poultry Australia Limited logo |
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| Humane Choice | True Free Range | ||||
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Complies with Model Code + additional standards | ||||
| Hens must be allowed free movement and access to the paddock for a minimum of 8 hours per day Outdoor shelter should include windbreaks and shade |
1500 hens per hectare (maximum) | Practices such as beak trimming and induced moulting are prohibited | Logos and labelling Producers can use the Humane Choice True Free Range logo |
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| RSPCA | Approved Farming Scheme Standards - Layer Hens (August 2011) | ||||
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Complies with Model Code + additional standards | ||||
| Hens have access to range outdoors for a minimum of 8 hours per day Sufficient overhead shade should be provided to encourage hens to access the range |
1500 hens per hectare (maximum) on farms where there is no rotation to other outdoor areas Or 2500 hens (maximum) per hectare where hens can be rotated to other outdoor areas |
Beak trimming must only occur where all other methods of preventing feather pecking have failed Induced moulting is not permitted |
Logos and labelling Accredited farms are authorised to use the RSPCA Paw of Approval |
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| Coles | Current standard: Egg Corp Assured | ||||
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Complies with Model Code | ||||
| Outdoor areas where hens range are designed to protect hens from extremes of weather and temperature | 1500 hens per hectare with higher numbers allowed if hens are regularly rotated onton fresh range areas Proposed 10 000 hens per hectare (maximum) |
Beak trimming must be done by an accredited person | Logos and labelling Private label brands |
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| Woolworths | Current standard: Egg Corp Assured | ||||
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Complies with Model Code | ||||
| Outdoor areas where hens range are designed to protect hens from extremes of weather and temperature | 1500 hens per hectare with higher numbers allowed if hens are regularly rotated onto fresh range areas | Beak trimming must be done by an accredited person | Logos and labelling Private label brands |
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Schemes may also have other standards that they apply to free-range egg production. Go to the indvidual scheme’s website for this information.
If you want more information on the brands of eggs a scheme accredits, go to the scheme’s website or contact the egg producer to find out which scheme accredits their eggs as free-range.
If a scheme’s label or logo is not listed here, the NSW Food Authority has not reviewed the scheme’s criteria nor seen evidence of independent verification. This does not mean the scheme is non compliant.
If you run a free-range egg accreditation scheme and would like to have your scheme reviewed to be included in the table, please contact the Authority on 1300 552 406.
Regulating
Free-range: There is no national certification trademark to label eggs as free-range. As indicated in the table, some schemes have identifying logos and allow accredited producers to use them on their egg cartons. Many scheme accredited producers will also use their own free-range branding.
Role of NSW Food Authority:
The role of the Authority is to help ensure products are labelled correctly and can investigate complaints about misleading egg labelling.
If an egg carton is labelled as free-range and contains eggs not produced in accordance with a free-range production system, then the egg producer is breaching the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and Food Act 2003 (NSW), and may be subject to enforcement action.
Role of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission:
If cartons of eggs are labelled and sold as free-range when in fact the eggs contained are not free-range, this egg substitution is misleading conduct and the egg producer is breaching the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and may be prosecuted by the ACCC.
Animal welfare
The Model Code is a national set of guidelines relating to the welfare of domestic poultry agreed to in 2002. The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, initiates and oversees reviews of the Model Code.
How was this consumer information developed?
The consumer information on this webpage shows the requirements, including the stocking densities of widely available free-range egg labelling schemes operating in NSW. The information was viewed and commented upon by members of the NSW egg labelling forum and the various schemes before it was published.
The webpage was designed to reflect the fact that consumers buying free range eggs at the supermarket may see a logo that shows the producer is accredited by a specific scheme. This means that it’s important for consumers to be able to access information about what the accreditation scheme means. Consumers who want to know what each scheme means are more than capable of reading a website and making their own assessment of which eggs to buy.
How does the NSW Food Authority interpret the national Model Code for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry 4th Edition?
The Model Code must be read in totality and a number of schemes utilise flock rotation, which is actually the majority interpretation. NSW DPI’s Animal Welfare unit interprets the Code in the same way, as do reputable brands such as RSPCA, Certified Organic, and also the Coles and Woolworths private labels.
The Model Code clearly refers to the point that stocking density alone is not related to animal welfare. There are several points in the Code where it provides for a system approach to a higher stocking density. For more information go to the Model code of practice for the welfare of animals - domestic poultry 4th edition
Egg safety
No matter under which system eggs are produced, like all perishable foods, they need careful handling to keep them safe to eat.
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