Government plan to bring forward the phase-out of battery cage eggs sends the industry into a scramble

The State Government’s plan to bring forward the phase-out of battery cage eggs has many worried it could result in more pressure on West Australians’ wallets. Opposition food and agriculture minister Colin de Grussa said the Government’s decision to bring the phase-out forward by four years from 2036 to 2032 was a big blow to the industry. “In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, Labor are again putting unnecessary pressure on everyday households through reckless and ideological decision-making,” Mr de Grussa said. “This decision will lead to added market pressure and a poorly timed increased cost of nutrition, which will leave West Australians to making tough decisions when it comes to feeding their families. “The plan to end caged-egg production in less than a decade is a huge challenge for WA egg producers who are already dealing with critical workforce shortages and rising input costs.” Margaret River Free Range Eggs owner Jan Harwood said although she might not personally agree with caged-egg farming, she did not believe it should be up to the Government to ban the production method. “I think it would be better for everyone involved if the phase-out were to happen organically rather than a ban,” Ms Harwood said. Ms Harwood and her husband Kim bought a caged-egg farm about 30 years ago, with the prospects to turn it free range. “We bought the farm in a time where there was only about one other free-range egg farm in WA,” Ms Harwood said. “It took us four years to go free range, initially we thought it was just a matter of just letting them loose, but really we were naive.” Ms Harwood said even though free-range farming was more ethical, it was a lot more expensive. “At my farm I have got 30,000 hens, but a caged-egg farmer could fit four times that many hens, which means they would produce more,” she said. “I think if the Government bans caged eggs in the short term there would be a more severe shortage of eggs and there’s no doubt about that. “If it happened with natural forces, rather than a ban it would bring free-range eggs to be a more of a normal thing rather than a niche or a specialised food. “Caged eggs are cheap so they still are attractive to people, especially in this day and age when people are really watching their spending and it’s really affecting people’s food choices.” The Leader of the Opposition, Shane Love, will be writing to the WA Agriculture Minister to demand she work in good faith with the industry, to manage a transition that reflects the circumstances of the WA industry.