Higher egg price warning over battery ban deadline in Australia

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said some jurisdictions would move away from battery cages faster than others but all were working towards a deadline of 2036. “Some states will be able to do it more quickly than others and if some states are struggling that is something we can discuss,” Watt said. The national standards, which includes the phase out of battery cages, was agreed to at a meeting in Perth on Thursday. NSW would not commit to the timeline. “We will work to our own timeline to make sure that we’re working with industry in NSW to get the best outcome,” Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty told AAP. “We’re going to work with industry so that we’re not impacting supply and we’re not worried about cost of living issues.” Watt said 2036 was a reasonable timeline that gave the industry plenty of time to adjust. An independent review of animal welfare standards recommended an end to the use of battery hens by 2036, but industry advocates wanted the deadline pushed back ...