Egg Group Figures Run 'Fowl' Of Free-Range Claims
One in six free-range eggs is not what it seems. An analysis of data provided by the egg-producing industry has confirmed what most consumers have suspected for some time: it is doubtful that enough free-range layer hens exist in Australia to produce the number of eggs labelled and sold as free-range by retailers. In the year to January 2007, the Australian freerange flock would have had to grow by more than 37 per cent to match the increased sale of free-range eggs recorded by the Australian Egg Corporation in its annual reports. Over that time, the number of all eggs sold in the grocery market jumped from 811 million to 971 million and the proportion of those sold as free-range jumped from 20.3 per cent to 23.4 per cent.
But at the same time the number of eggs produced in total, covering the wholesale, manufacturing and export markets as well as the grocery sector, dropped from 3 billion to 2.8 billion, and the overall flock of laying hens decreased by 6 per cent. The total free-range flock would have had to grow from 891,000 hens in 2006 to 1.22 million to meet the Egg Corporation's free-range sales figures.
NSW Greens MP John Kaye said about 36.8 million eggs (about 16 per cent) branded as free-range must actually have been either barn or cage-laid. "Either the industry's making up the figures as it goes along or there are dodgy producers who are getting away with calling eggs free-range when they are not,'' he said.
Dr Kaye said that with big retailers such as Woolworths reporting increased demand for free-range eggs, there was an urgent need for formal accreditation of free-range farming practices and the introduction of regulations to control labelling. The Egg Corporation, which operates its own voluntary accreditation program, Egg Corp Assured, did not return calls. According to its website, Egg Corp Assured uses registered third party auditors to monitor the quality of product and the integrity of labelling practices.
Tony Coote, of free-range egg producer Mulloon Creek Natural Farms, east of Canberra, said even consumers opting to buy only Egg Corp Assured-labelled eggs may not be getting what they think they've paid for because the Egg Corporation set the bar too low on what it classified as free-range. Large 'free-range' operators were permitted to crowd thousands of hens in giant sheds containing all the flock's needs, so very few birds ventured outside to forage anyway.
"You can't believe all the pictures you see, with birds roaming on green grass. That's just not so in many cases,'' Mr Coote said. -The Age
'Deadly' Insulation Scheme Fixed Then Slashed
After a peak electrical body warned that more deaths would occur, the Federal Government slashed its ceiling insulation program on 1 November. Home owners could receive rebates of up to $1,600 for ceiling insulation as part of the Government's economic stimulus package but this amount has now been slashed to $1200. So far there have been eight serious accidents, including one fatality, and several house fires due to insufficient training of installers and the incorrect use of products. A Senate inquiry will soon examine the scheme's operation.
Master Electricians chief executive officer, Malcolm Richards, met Environment Minister Peter Garrett in Canberra on 27 October. Mr Richards says 21,000 homes across the country were at risk because the Government has included foil-based insulation products in its rebate scheme.
"The foil is normally installed in a new home away from where the wires lie across the ceiling. Under this rebate scheme, many new operators have grabbed whatever product they can to throw in the ceiling. The foil has to be stapled down to be effective and they're stapling through existing wires that are laid across the trusses."
On 26 October, home owner Lilian Brierley told ABC Brisbane's local radio that her husband was lucky to be alive after he knelt on a staple in their ceiling which had been put through an existing wire. Ms Brierley said he was in intensive care for 24 hours and spent another 24 hours in a hospital ward.
The new safety guidelines include a ban on the use of metal fasteners on foil insulation, mandatory use of covers on downlights and an inspection program in Queensland where most of the problems have occurred.
"Down lights already get to 250 degrees C, so when you lay insulation on top of them the temperature escalates to combustible point and actually starts a fire." Mr Richards says someone can become an installer by doing a two-hour online general safety course. He says the Master Electricians' industry training advisory body wrote to the Federal Government in March, explaining the appropriate level of training insulation installers would need.
"That advice was not taken and just a basic generic training course was put in front of these people, which does not include warning of these significant risks. I'd recommend any home owner who has had foil-based product installed get an electrician out to test it before they go anywhere near their ceiling," he said. Mr Richards says a similar foil-based product was installed across New Zealand in 2007, which resulted in four fatalities. More than 500,000 Australian homes have already had ceiling insulation installed. -ABC
Williams River Valley Artists' Project
Up near Barrington Tops (200 km north of Sydney) lies the glorious Williams River valley - 22 km of pristine winding river flanked by rich dairy pasture, primeval forest and national park. The precious ecosystems of the Williams, the last healthy river in the Hunter region, would be destroyed if Hunter Water's proposed $480 million Tillegra Dam were to proceed. A dam the size of Sydney Harbour would flood the valley; Hunter residents would pay for it in their water bills; all of us would lose another sacred site. A swelling chorus (including Dungog Shire Council, which voted 7 to 2 against the development in October) opposes this destructive and unnecessary dam.
The Williams River Valley Artists' Project - initiated by artist Juliet Fowler Smith, whose family has farmed the valley for generations - brings together a group of environmentallydismayed Australian contemporary artists: Suzanne Bartos, Neil Berecry Brown, Ruby Davies, Bonita Ely, Juliet Fowler Smith, Noelene Lucas, Bridget Nicholson, Margaret Roberts, Toni Warburton and David Watson. Their by turns elegiac, contemplative and strident responses are being fuelled by local residencies, research and exhibitions, the first of which opened at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre on 24 October (and ran until 29 November). This is now being followed by CRY ME A RIVER at the Tin Sheds Gallery in Sydney in September 2010, and another at Maitland Regional Art Gallery after that. For further information visit their website: http://williamsrivervalley. blogspot.com.
Only Two Cereals Healthy Enough To Eat Every Day
Many cereals marketed to children contain excessive amounts of sugar and salt and only two varieties are suitable for everyday consumption, a new survey has found. Consumer group Choice examined 152 breakfast cereals from major Australian supermarkets to determine which are healthy choices for adults and kids alike. Of 42 cereals containing chocolate or obviously marketed to young people, Choice found only Sanitarium's 'Weet-Bix Kids' and Uncle Tobys 'VitaBrits Weeties' could be recommended as everyday cereals. The other 40 contained either too much sugar or salt, while some including Kellogg's 'Nutri-Grain', 'Coco Pops' 'Chex' and 'Crispix Honey' scored highly in both categories. When it came to the nation's best-selling cereals, Sanitarium's 'Weet-Bix' was the only brand to also make it into Choice's top 10 healthiest list, while Kellogg's 'Sultana Bran' was classed as okay given its high quantity of fibre and mainly fruit-based sugar content.
The healthiest cereal options were moderate to high in fibre and comparatively low in saturated fat, sugar or salt, Choice spokesperson Christopher Zinn said. These included Abundant Earth's 'Organic Puffed Corn', Freedom Foods 'Free from Gluten Rice Puffs with Psyllium' and Uncle Tobys 'Shredded Wheat'.
"More than half of the 152 cereals Choice looked at contained far too much sugar. There's no reason why cereals should contain added sodium but many contain far too much, including those aimed at kids." Since its last survey two years ago, Choice found there had been some changes. Nestle had decreased the amount of sugar and salt in its 'Milo' cereal, but upped the levels of salt in 'Cheerios' and 'Nesquick'. Kellogg's cut sugar and salt in 'Crunchy Nut Clusters' but upped salt in 'Frosties'. -AAP
Other stories from the Bush Telegraph in EG 150, out now:
- US Considers Taxing Sugary Drinks
- 'Sensitive Permaculture' Book Published
- Primary School Bans Bottled Water
- Burnoffs Would Not Have Helped, Scientists Say