The new requirements for free-range egg labelling is being cited as one of the reasons behind an egg shortage along Australia's east coast.
The federal government's new free range requirements limit the stocking densities to 10,000 hens per hectare, require hens to have access to the outdoors, and require the disclosure of stocking densities on pack.
The shortage has also been blamed on a naturally lower supply of eggs in cooler weather, and rising egg consumption, in particular free-range eggs, and lower investment in hatcheries as producers wait for more clarity on the new standards with regard to barn design and labelling requirements.
The shortage is expected to last between two and three months.
