❓ Question regarding the impact of the opposition's proposed free-range egg policy (1500 chooks/hectare) on producers and consumers. The Minister argues it would raise egg prices and defends the industry's role in defining 'free range'.
AnsweredQoN 128Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FREE-RANGE EGG
PRODUCERS — STOCKING RATE
128. Mr M.J. COWPER to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
Last week, the state opposition announced a policy to limit
free-range egg producers to a stocking rate of 1 500 chooks per hectare. Can
the minister please explain to the house what impact this policy, if it were
implemented, would have on egg producers and consumers?
PRODUCERS — STOCKING RATE
128. Mr M.J. COWPER to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
Last week, the state opposition announced a policy to limit
free-range egg producers to a stocking rate of 1 500 chooks per hectare. Can
the minister please explain to the house what impact this policy, if it were
implemented, would have on egg producers and consumers?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question and clearly for his
interest.
In short, if we put in place the opposition's policy
on free-range eggs, the price of eggs would go up—certainly for
free-range eggs. I think it is pretty clear —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Maylands, member for Warnbro and member for Collie–Preston,
I formally call you to order for the first time today, along with the member
for Midland.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
want to reflect on the previous shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food, who
made comments in the media not that long ago that people would have to get used
to paying more for their food. We now have another policy, which in my view is
ill-conceived and put in on short notice. The opposition has made the claim
that if it comes into government, it will put in a rule defining free range as
1 500 hens per hectare.
I strongly support government playing a role when government
needs to play a role—that is, around animal welfare. We have animal
welfare acts in place to deal with that. Government also needs to play a role
around environmental issues, and likewise we have regulatory processes in place
for that.
Mr A.J. Waddell :
What do you call free range?
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
What is free range? I believe it is a marketing strategy to try to draw a premium
—
Several members interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : It
is a marketing strategy to try to draw a premium, quite rightly, from people
who want to purchase eggs that are not from hens that have grown up in cages.
That is absolutely appropriate. To me, it is also appropriate for industry —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro!
Mr D.T. REDMAN : It
is appropriate for industry to define what free range is. It is going through a
process to do that. It is a marketing strategy. Let us have a close look at —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
realise that some of us have been here for quite a while at this stage and
there are good reasons why we have been in here. I would like the rest of
question time to go reasonably smoothly without further interjections on this
particular minister all the time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
think it is quite right for industry to look at defining what free range is.
That is absolutely appropriate. Industry is taking charge of that through the
national body, the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd, to put in place what it
thinks is an appropriate standard. If members look on its website, they can see
a YouTube vision of what 20 000 birds per hectare looks like. The community
will make a judgement about whether it thinks that is a reasonable number of
birds to be considered free range. But the notion is that people want to be
able to buy eggs that do not come out of a cage. Let us have a close look at —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I formally call you to order for the second
time today. Member for Albany and member for West Swan, I call you to order for
the first time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
thought it would be appropriate to give an idea of what the opposition has put
up as a policy setting. I have done some research —
Several members interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
consulted the Clerk of the chamber to find out just how big an area this
chamber represents. If we go from the bar right back to the wall behind you, Mr
Speaker, this chamber is 165 square metres. I have that on good authority; I do
not think anyone would challenge that. We have 59 members in this chamber. If
every one of those members were a chook, this chamber would be populated at 3 500
birds per hectare. Therefore, if we take the members here—it is awful
thick in here, is it not, Mr Speaker—down to a chook size, including
the bantams at the back, we can in fact see what it means when a standard like
that is put out and said to be appropriate. I think what is represented in this
chamber could easily be someone's backyard domestic henhouse. I do not
think that is unreasonable.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the second time today and
suggest that if you want to ask a question, you get to your feet and seek the
call.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : On Country Hour today, which is where
this was reported, Jan Harwood from Margaret River, a person who farms
free-range chickens, was interviewed. I have been to meet with her on a couple
of occasions.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Absolutely! I have met with her on a couple of occasions. She advocates a ''free
range'' definition of 1 500 birds per hectare, but in today's
interview she highlighted that her stocking rate is in fact 2 500 birds per
hectare. I do not think that the opposition has thought through the policy
setting that it has put in place. It is interesting that it is not reflected in
some of the free-range practices by those I would consider to be some of the
leading people in Western Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for West Swan, if you do have an idea, I suggest that you put that idea
in a question, and get to your feet and ask the question. I formally call you
to order for the second time today. Member for Wanneroo, I do not need you
gesturing in this place either and I formally call you to order for the first
time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : In
summary, I make the point that if Labor were to put that policy in place, it
would significantly reduce the capacity for the industry to supply free-range
eggs, thereby increasing the price of eggs and, interestingly, the possibility
of a perverse outcome; namely, more chooks going back into cages.
interest.
In short, if we put in place the opposition's policy
on free-range eggs, the price of eggs would go up—certainly for
free-range eggs. I think it is pretty clear —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Maylands, member for Warnbro and member for Collie–Preston,
I formally call you to order for the first time today, along with the member
for Midland.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
want to reflect on the previous shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food, who
made comments in the media not that long ago that people would have to get used
to paying more for their food. We now have another policy, which in my view is
ill-conceived and put in on short notice. The opposition has made the claim
that if it comes into government, it will put in a rule defining free range as
1 500 hens per hectare.
I strongly support government playing a role when government
needs to play a role—that is, around animal welfare. We have animal
welfare acts in place to deal with that. Government also needs to play a role
around environmental issues, and likewise we have regulatory processes in place
for that.
Mr A.J. Waddell :
What do you call free range?
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
What is free range? I believe it is a marketing strategy to try to draw a premium
—
Several members interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : It
is a marketing strategy to try to draw a premium, quite rightly, from people
who want to purchase eggs that are not from hens that have grown up in cages.
That is absolutely appropriate. To me, it is also appropriate for industry —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro!
Mr D.T. REDMAN : It
is appropriate for industry to define what free range is. It is going through a
process to do that. It is a marketing strategy. Let us have a close look at —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
realise that some of us have been here for quite a while at this stage and
there are good reasons why we have been in here. I would like the rest of
question time to go reasonably smoothly without further interjections on this
particular minister all the time.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
think it is quite right for industry to look at defining what free range is.
That is absolutely appropriate. Industry is taking charge of that through the
national body, the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd, to put in place what it
thinks is an appropriate standard. If members look on its website, they can see
a YouTube vision of what 20 000 birds per hectare looks like. The community
will make a judgement about whether it thinks that is a reasonable number of
birds to be considered free range. But the notion is that people want to be
able to buy eggs that do not come out of a cage. Let us have a close look at —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Collie–Preston, I formally call you to order for the second
time today. Member for Albany and member for West Swan, I call you to order for
the first time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
thought it would be appropriate to give an idea of what the opposition has put
up as a policy setting. I have done some research —
Several members interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : I
consulted the Clerk of the chamber to find out just how big an area this
chamber represents. If we go from the bar right back to the wall behind you, Mr
Speaker, this chamber is 165 square metres. I have that on good authority; I do
not think anyone would challenge that. We have 59 members in this chamber. If
every one of those members were a chook, this chamber would be populated at 3 500
birds per hectare. Therefore, if we take the members here—it is awful
thick in here, is it not, Mr Speaker—down to a chook size, including
the bantams at the back, we can in fact see what it means when a standard like
that is put out and said to be appropriate. I think what is represented in this
chamber could easily be someone's backyard domestic henhouse. I do not
think that is unreasonable.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the second time today and
suggest that if you want to ask a question, you get to your feet and seek the
call.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : On Country Hour today, which is where
this was reported, Jan Harwood from Margaret River, a person who farms
free-range chickens, was interviewed. I have been to meet with her on a couple
of occasions.
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Absolutely! I have met with her on a couple of occasions. She advocates a ''free
range'' definition of 1 500 birds per hectare, but in today's
interview she highlighted that her stocking rate is in fact 2 500 birds per
hectare. I do not think that the opposition has thought through the policy
setting that it has put in place. It is interesting that it is not reflected in
some of the free-range practices by those I would consider to be some of the
leading people in Western Australia.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for West Swan, if you do have an idea, I suggest that you put that idea
in a question, and get to your feet and ask the question. I formally call you
to order for the second time today. Member for Wanneroo, I do not need you
gesturing in this place either and I formally call you to order for the first
time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : In
summary, I make the point that if Labor were to put that policy in place, it
would significantly reduce the capacity for the industry to supply free-range
eggs, thereby increasing the price of eggs and, interestingly, the possibility
of a perverse outcome; namely, more chooks going back into cages.
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