Victorian farmers plead for pause on caged egg phase out

Victoria’s peak farming body wants the state and federal governments to pause the looming phase out of conventional caged eggs.

The farming system is set to be phased out by 2036 under the latest Commonwealth guidelines, with Australia’s major supermarkets committed to taking them off shelves this year.

But with egg shortages being felt by consumers across the nation as the supply chain recovers from last year’s bird flu outbreak, some egg farmers say caged eggs remain crucial to maintaining supply.

“The whole issue of the shortage of eggs has been an ongoing concern by consumers,” Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) egg group president, Meg Parkinson, said.

Ms Parkinson said having affordable sources of protein was important as people grappled with the cost of living crisis.

“The [phase out] of conventional cages was a decision made without considering the affect of this on the consumer,” she said.

Welfare vs cost

Ms Parkinson said eggs were a low-cost, high value protein to feed families.

“People buy eggs because of those reasons, not always for animal welfare reasons,” she said.

“This includes eggs from all production systems such as barn laid, cage and free range and enables consumers to choose how their eggs are produced and at the same time ensuring supply of eggs is as resilient as possible.

“I would like [governments] to consider the importance of consumer supply before they make a final decision.”

Major supermarkets Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have pledged to phase out or ban battery cages from their supply chains by this year.

A Woolworths spokesperson said demand for caged eggs had continued to fall, from 70 per cent of all eggs sold in Woolworths in 2009, to 50 per cent by 2013 when the cage-free commitment was first announced.

“This is still the case.

“At this time, we remain on track to meet our cage-free goal across our egg range by the end of 2025, however we are sensitive to potential future industry-wide shocks to egg production, and as always we will continue to work in close contact with our suppliers.”

A Coles spokesperson said the retailer was working with egg suppliers and was committed to phasing out cage eggs nationally this year.

“All Coles Own Brand shell eggs sold nationally have been cage-free since 2013, and we have already achieved a cage-free status for branded shell eggs in Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia,” they said.

“Additionally, following the avian influenza outbreaks last year, we have been consulting with our suppliers, industry bodies and government to understand the implications and long-term impacts of the outbreaks.”

Exposed to disease

The VFF says caged egg systems are safer environments for birds, significantly reducing the risk of transmitting bird flu through contact with wild birds.

Conventional cages are generally about 50 centimetres square in size, and under the proposed phase out, would be replaced by larger cages that can house multiple birds, allowing them to socialise and exhibit more natural behaviours.

Third generation Wodonga-based poultry auctioneer, Braham Metry, runs poultry actions in Euroa, where a farm recently detected a new outbreak of avian influenza.

Mr Metry said chickens were “designed” to be in cages.

“As long as you have free-range farms, you’re going to have bird flu,” he said.

“You’re going to have thousands and thousands of birds killed — but that’s just the way the industry is, there is going to be egg shortages everywhere.

Lacking detail

The phase out has been committed to by state and territory governments, but standards are yet to be created and there is no detail on when a phase out would begin or what compensation would be paid.

Ms Parkinson said the implementation of the phase out should stop until ongoing affects of avian influenza were controlled and a reliable supply of eggs to the community could be guaranteed.

“The impending phase out of conventional cages, coupled with a lack of clear transition planning from governments, has created uncertainty within the industry,” she said. 

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the biosecurity protocols in place would protect the egg industry from future outbreaks spreading.

“It’s important that we get on top of bird flu outbreaks really quickly and that’s why our country has been doing all of the work on preparedness,” she said.

“We also have been looking at food security and supply chains particularly coming out of COVID.”