Australia: New South Wales accused of chickening out as others move to meet 2036 timeframe for cage-free eggs

The New South Wales government has been accused of bowing to industry pressure after announcing it would not be joining the rest of the country in phasing out caged eggs by 2036. The nation’s agriculture ministers met in Perth on Thursday to adopt the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry. The framework was developed over seven years before being finalised last year and agreed to by all states. The national guidelines state that egg producers should phase out the use of conventional-layer hen cages by 2036 at the latest, but the country’s most populous state has rejected that timeframe. The NSW agriculture minister, Tara Moriarty, said the decision was made in order to protect industry and consumers. “What we’ve done is change those guidelines to allow NSW to be able to implement the plans on our own timetable with our own industry, to make sure that industry has the timeline that it needs but also that consumers are protected in relation to any price ...