PICK OF THE CROP
ORGANIGROW — ON FREE RANGE
Misleading “free range” claims have led to a deep feeling of mistrust by consumers. Government standards have now set an upper limit of 10,000 birds per hectare, but this is meaningless as there’s no definition of what that means: a producer can have half a million birds in a dozen sheds, all cheek by jowl in the corner of a 50ha property. The best way to avoid bad practices is to look for certification by Humane Choice. Organic certification is also useful but beware the larger producers; they also can be misleading on their stocking densities and ranging. You can look at Google Earth at the farm producing the eggs you buy, including mine. I only run around 600 chooks per hectare. If you can’t see a producer’s sheds, and the halo of dirt around them indicating free ranging, phone them and find out where they are. If you can’t see any evidence of a free-range farmer actually letting their hens out, complain to the ACCC. It’s only by a push from concerned consumers that our regulator will act to stop this abuse of our feathered friends and the hoodwinking of consumers. — Simon, organigrow.com.au
THE TOOTHBRUSH THAT GIVES BACK
Introducing a new Aussie family business called Brush for.
