Fears cost of pantry staple could skyrocket

A decision could be made this week to bring forward the national phasing out of cage eggs to 2036, 10 years ahead of schedule.

Agriculture ministers will meet on Thursday to discuss the future of the country’s egg industry, sparking fears the proposed move could lead to skyrocketing prices and widespread shortages.

Both federal and state ministers are expected to endorse an updated version of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry, which currently recommends a phasing out of cage eggs by 2046.

Some producers are concerned cartons could go for $15 a pop, leading industry advocacy groups to question the timing of the decision amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Such an increase was seen in New Zealand where an early phasing out process led to widespread egg shortages as well as a sharp increase in prices, with half a dozen eggs reportedly selling for $7 in some areas.

Advocacy groups are concerned many households already doing it tough with increasing grocery bills will struggle to access the usually-affordable protein source.

Animal rights activists have long called for the changes.

Earlier this year, Glenys Oogjes of Animal Australia told the Guardian that Australia was more than a decade behind comparable nations in improving chicken welfare.

“Europe phased them out in 2012 and that’s about when New Zealand started their phase-out,” she said.

“So we’re not just 10 years behind.

“We are at least 20 if not 30 years behind in regard to the science and the ethics.”

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie told Today on Tuesday morning phasing out caged eggs would eliminate an “affordable option for so many families”.

“At the end of the day, not everyone can put scotch fillet on the table for their family to give them the level of protein they need and eggs are a great source that are also affordable,” she said.

“As long as the standards we have for caged hens are great and they are world class at the moment.”

The Victorian Government said on Tuesday that it “supports a nationally consistent approach towards the regulation of poultry welfare standards”.

“Animal welfare remains a priority and we will consider feedback from farmers and the industry to form the final national standards and guidelines,” a spokesperson said.

Egg farmers have expressed their concerns that an earlier deadline would not allow enough time to establish and pay off the infrastructure required.

LPC Poultry managing director Brett Langfield told Today that a government decision to move forward the deadline would leave egg farmers “high and dry”.

“We’re going back to the government on a regular basis trying to explain to them the disruption that will occur, but also the investment that needs to occur in our industry over the next 10 years if we were to make that work,” Mr Langfield said.

“We need to be able to supply this low-cost (high)-value protein source to consumers and we’re concerned that if we get rushed into this process, the consumers will be hurt the most.”

According to Australian Eggs, cage eggs currently make up 31 per cent of sales nationally.

Free range eggs are the most popular, constituting 56 per cent of sales, while barn-laid and specialty eggs make up 10 and two per cent respectively.

The egg industry not-for-profit said cage free and barn-laid eggs are the same thing — hens live entirely within an indoor space while free range hens access an outdoor range during the day.

Cage egg farming, which began 50 years ago, confines hens entirely to cages.

While efficient, the practice does not allow hens to roam or partake in natural behaviours such as nesting, dust-bathing and perching.

Major retailers Coles and Woolworths have both already pledged to phase out caged eggs in their stores by 2025.