Naturopath Brisbane offers you useful massage which keeps you fit and fine. If you are suffering from any pain then you can take massage from our naturopathy. http://brisbanenaturalhealth.com.au

1. Organic, free-range, caged, barn laid, bred free-range… What does it all mean? Part 1
You’re in the meat department looking for something for dinner. You see labels claiming to be
free range, bred-free range, organic or grain fed. What does organic-eggsit all mean? You’d be
shocked to learn that free range may not necessarily mean that animals are kept in roomy, free-
to-range conditions. Or that bred free range is means born outside and transferred to a factory
farm. Eggs are just as confusing – cage-free, barn laid, free-range, organic – what is best? This
article will help to de-bunk some myths around these loose labelling terms and help you make
informed choices when buying animal foods.
Studies show that consumers are wanting to make informed choices about where their food is
coming from. Most people are now aware of factory farming practices and are leaning towards
products that are free range and humanely raised. The problem lies that in Australia terms such
as free range, barn laid and cage free are not regulated. There is a lot of variation in the use of
these terms and there is no set regulation in place to ensure that there is transparency as to what
you are actually getting. Thankfully in Australia beef cattle are mostly free range, although grain
fed beef will be finished in feedlots. Lamb is also mostly free ranged in Australia, so we will
focus this article on eggs, meat chickens and pork. We will also go into some detail on what
grain fed really means.
‘Free Range’ Eggs
By definition, free range implies that the animal has been raised in an open environment with
room to move around. Unfortunately many of the eggs we buy as free range are from chickens
that do not fit this definition.
Largely to blame is the voluntary free-range accreditation scheme of the Australian Egg
Corporation, who have a vastly different definition of free-range than the definition endorsed by
the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia. Lack of regulation makes it difficult
for you to know how free-range your eggs really are.
According to the Australian Egg Corporation, free-range indicates:
1. Hens are housed in sheds with access to an outdoor range
2. Stocking capacity within sheds can’t exceed 14 birds / m2
3. Maximum of 1500 birds / hectare
4. Beak trimming is permitted
The Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia definition indicates:
Unrestricted access to free-range during daylight hours
Stocking capacity within sheds can’t exceed 7 birds / m2
Maximum of 750 birds / hectare
Beak trimming is not permitted

2. As you can see the standards are vastly different. Although free-range eggs produced by the
Australian egg corporation standards are better than cage eggs, these bird are still de-beaked
(which means that they can’t peck the ground or groom) and are extremely overcrowded. To
keep up with the demand of the free-range egg market increasing most commercial suppliers use
these watered down guidelines to sell their eggs as free-range.
Cage eggs
Cage eggs are termed as such because the chickens are housed in small confined cages where
they have access to food and water but no room to flap their wings or move around much. The
cage egg industry is a classic example of factory farming where the only real consideration is the
number of eggs per dollar at the end of the day. Cage eggs have less nutritional value as the diet
of caged birds contains no fresh food or grass.
Barn laid eggs
Barn laid eggs are eggs that are laid by hens housed indoors, but not in the conventional caged
systems.
Barn laid hens:
Have restricted space to flap their wings
Are still kept at quite a high density
Are usually debeaked
Have nest boxes to lay their eggs
RSPCA approved barn laid eggs also have the following requirements:
Hens are not debeaked
Stocking density must be no more that 9 birds per m2
Adequate perches and nest boxes must be provided
Barn laid is certainly better than cage eggs, however hens still are unable to forage, scratch and
peck as they do in a free-range system.
Certified Organic Eggs
Besides having eggs from your own chickens, certified organic eggs are the best option. Certified
organic eggs are always free range and are free from hormones and antibiotics. Chickens are fed
certified organic feed and have access to pasture.
In certified organic laying hens:
Permanent access to weatherproof housing with sufficient perches to enable normal
roosting for birds
Stocking capacity cannot exceed 16kg per m2

3. If artificial lighting is used to supplement daylight the total must not exceed 16 hours per
day
The use of growth promotants and hormones is prohibited
Debeaking is not allowed
Farm must adhere to organic farming principles and restrictions
There are several certifying bodies that govern organic eggs – so look out for their certification
logos below on the carton.
Stay tuned for part two of this article. In the meanwhile, if you have any questions speak to one
of our experienced naturopath Brisbane Natural Health specialists or visit us online
http://brisbanenaturalhealth.com.au/