Between the cost of living crisis and new regulations, the price of one shopping basket staple rises above the rest.
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State agriculture ministers met this week to plan the future of the country's egg industry. What came from these discussions was the updates to the Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry.
The document outlines new standards which farmers must follow and includes direct changes to the way hens are handled by workers, the conditions in which egg-laying hens are kept, and making battery farming of eggs no longer legal by 2036.
Egg farmers had invested millions into battery cage facilities to produce as many eggs as possible, believing they had until 2046 until these practices would be stopped.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud said "egg farmers deserve support, not surprises, from the state governments".
Eggs will still be available at a reasonable price, maybe just not $3 a dozen
- Jasmine Walton
Free range egg farmers had already been dealing with issues that caged egg farmers said would cost them millions to accommodate.
An issue facing cage farmers was having hens outside meaning they would no longer be in perfect conditions to lay eggs everyday.
This would lead to a drop in production of eggs and potential supply issues for caged egg farms, they say.
Some are predicting a dozen eggs could cost $15 following the changes, while some companies are charging $10 already.
"The increased prices are predicted due to the necessary infrastructure changes needed and the increased labour required to farm eggs in a barn rather than cages," Jasmine Walton from Sunnybank Farms said.
"Farmers that are producing eggs in a sustainable, ethical way are completely unaffected by these legal changes."
It comes at a time where the cost of living pressure is already increasing substantially and Australians are feeling it when they shop.
"Eggs will still be available at a reasonable price, maybe just not $3 a dozen," Ms Walton said. According to Australian Eggs, 51 per cent of eggs sold in the 2021-22 financial year were sourced from free range farms.
If the price changes only come from farmers that will be moving towards free range eggs, it should not affect the regular Australian much, as caged eggs are phased out.
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