Mark today down as a red letter day, the Greens have put out a media release!
And it’s a good one too. Caroline Le Couteur has announced that if they get their way the battery farming of chickens in the ACT will come to an end, amongst other things.
- Canberra’s single cage egg farm is Parkwood, which is owned by Australia’s biggest egg producer, Pace Farms. Parkwood is over 25 years old, with fully depreciated infrastructure, and employs fourteen people. It ships its eggs to NSW for packaging and distribution. However, Pace Farms also produces free range and barn laid eggs in other parts of the country.
Ms Le Couteur’s draft legislation would also require retailers to display cage eggs separately from other eggs, along with signs that describe the egg production method.
“Providing this information at the point of sale is an important additional step, especially since the ACT can’t ban imported cage eggs, and because egg carton labels are often confusing or misleading”, Ms Le Couteur said. “In a recent survey, 85% of ACT residents said they thought battery cage systems were cruel.”
You can find the proposed legislation online.