Australia will phase out battery cages for hens, banning them by 2036, following a seven-year battle between the egg industry and animal welfare groups. Picture: Edwin Remsberg / Getty Images. RSPCA Australia chief executive Richard Mussell has praised the move, calling it a “significant win for animal welfare”.
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Eggs from caged hens would be phased out by 2036 under a major plan to end the practice of keeping poultry in battery cages across the country.
What Are Cage Eggs? Cage eggs make up 40 percent of supermarket egg purchases in Australia. Cage eggs are produced from hens that are housed in cages inside large, climate-controlled sheds.
The new Australian standards, the result of seven years of negotiations between government and industry, allow the use of battery cages until 2036.
Right now in Australia, it is estimated that over 10 million battery hens are confined to small cages as part of standard egg production, unable to perform even their most natural behaviours.
Cage hens are protected from predators such as foxes, feral cats and birds of prey. Cage hens produce more eggs and cleaner eggs, which is why they are cheaper at the supermarket. There are fewer occurrences of manure-borne diseases, parasites and other exotic diseases.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Response
The statement continues to say that refrigerating whole eggs is not required because: The Salmonella bacteria which can contaminate an egg while it's inside the bird isn't present in Australian eggs.
Battery cages
Unable even to spread their wings, caged laying hens are among the most intensively confined animals in agribusiness. Caged hens also suffer from the denial of many natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dustbathing, all important for hen welfare.
Proposition 12 requires that animals held in buildings, such as laying hens, breeding sows, or veal calves, “be housed in confinement systems that comply with specific standards for freedom of movement, cage-free design, and minimum floor space.” Implementation of the law began on 1 January 2022.
Cage-free eggs indicate that hens were not kept in battery cages, allowed instead to move about the egg production barn. But cage-free does not mean hens were given access to the outdoors. They were also likely stocked at high densities, meaning there was no limit to the number of birds in a given barn.
So the results were clear: For the best tasting eggs, go for pastured chickens. Barring those, choose whichever eggs have the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Where flavor is concerned, it doesn't matter if the eggs are organic, cage free, or from a cage battery.
They suffer from the highest rates of disuse osteoporosis, fatty liver disease, and bone breakage during removal from their cages at the end of their productive lives. Hens do not have enough space in a battery cage to stretch or flap their wings, or exercise.
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Most commercial egg farms have strictly all-female flocks because male chickens aren't needed for egg production and aren't suitable for meat either (chickens raised for meat are a different breed). Without a rooster in the flock, the eggs will never be fertilised and can't develop into a chicken embryo.
Many chickens don't appear to be in pain while laying eggs, but some chickens, particularly young chickens and those laying very large eggs, do show signs of pain. These signs include wheezy, gasping vocalizations while laying and occasional minor bleeding from the vent.
Hens are mutilated in the egg industry. Due to the stress of such intense confinement, hens engage in unnatural behaviours. Self-mutilation and even cannibalism are common. As a result, workers cut off a portion of their sensitive beaks without any painkillers.
This is because it is less labor-intensive. Also, hens living in such controlled conditions do not eat as much as those that are free to roam around. The limited cost of raising hens in this way reflects in the cost of their eggs, as caged hens' eggs tend to be the cheapest eggs available.
According to eggs.org.au (best domain name ever), the cartons we see on the shelves of Australian supermarkets contain eggs that were laid up to 42 days ago. That's six weeks. All we have to go by, traditionally, is the 'use-by' date. Or the even more confusing 'best before'.
Egg washing is not required in Australia, but sale of dirty eggs is prohibited by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Storing washed eggs below 7°C can help reduce the ability of Salmonella to grow.
Refrigerated eggs should not be left out for more than two hours. What's the best way to store eggs? The best way to keep eggs is to store them in their original carton in the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase. Cartons reduce water loss and protect flavours from other foods being absorbed into the eggs.
A general rule, unwashed eggs will last around two weeks unrefrigerated and about three months or more in your refrigerator. If you're experiencing an egg boom, it's smart to refrigerate any unwashed fresh eggs you aren't planning to eat immediately. This will help them last longer.
If you keep your eggs in the fridge, they can last six months or more if stored in a sealed container. Over time, the eggs may get runnier, but they are still good to eat. You can always write the date the eggs were laid on the container to help you keep track.
If you have a or bird houses in your garden, the one thing you absolutely must not do is collect any eggs which are laid in them. You will be breaking the law and the penalties can be severe. The bird house may be on your property but that does not mean that you will enjoy any protection from prosecution.