A proposal by local egg producers for a new trademark certifying free-range eggs has failed to gain approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The Australian Egg Corporation (AEC) had applied to use the trademark, but the ACCC has issued a preliminary rejection of the suggestion, citing concerns about a proposed free-range regime that would allow egg producers to run 20,000 birds per hectare.
The egg industry's existing voluntary code limits free-range producers to 1500 hens per hectare.
ACCC commissioner, Sarah Court, said the ACCC believed the AEC's trademark proposal was misleading.
“The ACCC considers that these practices and standards do not accord with consumer expectations about the free-range production of eggs,” Court said.
She said the commission had considered a total of 1700 submissions on the issue. The ACCC's ruling is an initial assessment, with the public to be given a month for consultation before the final verdict is delivered.
The AEC commented that it was still confident that there was “overwhelming evidence” in favour of the proposed new standards.
“We will continue to work with the ACCC to ensure the trademark certification is achieved for the benefit of consumers, industry and hen welfare,” AEC managing director, James Kellaway, said.
He said the new standards, which were subject to a three-year development program, would provide a consistent framework to ensure high-quality farm standards.
The ACCC has poured cold water on a free range egg labelling proposal from the Australian Egg Corporation.
