IT'S time for Australia to have genuine free-range standards, says LESLIE WHITE

When consumers think of free-range chickens, they picture a small happy group of birds wandering free in a grass-covered field.

A friendly farmer dips a hand in the feed bucket he or she is carrying, to throw the excited chickens handfuls of feed as the warm sun beats down.

Images on free-range egg packets encourage this perception.

But some of us know these images are often far removed from reality.

The image of happy free-range chooks was created by genuine free-range farmers - who operate in a way similar to that portrayed - and cashed in on by greedy companies who operate in a completely different manner, contrary to free-range principles and ideals.

They take advantage of the lack of a legal definition for the term "free-range", by stocking up to 40,000 birds in a single shed.

The birds do not necessarily see daylight, but have "access points" to get to it.

Many of these birds have had their beaks "trimmed", partly in an effort to stop cannibalism.

But many free-range producers say cannibalism is not an issue on genuine free-range farms with low stocking rates.

Free-range consumers are certainly not aware some farms are removing part of the bird's beak.

In the free-range meat market, the commercial producers have the birds live as little as 17 days with access to the outside world, after they have lived 21 days indoors. They may not venture outside, or even be aware a world outside the shed exists.

Unscrupulous producers have seen that a premium market has been created for free-range and have then sought to undercut the genuine producers who created this market, by compromising on the very issues that created it.

This takes advantage of the good intentions of consumers; of their willingness to pay more to ensure the animals live in good conditions. It is a knowing deception.

I understand that before the days of defamation lawsuits, this used to be called lying.

Australian governments - both parties, state and federal - have allowed this deception for far too long.

It has sacrificed integrity and consumer confidence, to allow big business to run riot.

It is time a genuine free-range standard was made law, as it is in the UK.

Industry codes and standards which are not enforceable by law are too easily bent - and if operators are really giving the consumer what they expect, they should have no problem with a consumer perception-based standard becoming law.

This cannot be done "in consultation with industry" because the big producers will lobby for the standard to be watered down below community expectation.

Potentially Australia's largest "free-range" producers would have to change their practices, or label their produce as barn-laid if a law was created to reflect consumer expectations.

If these large producers abandoned free-range, demand for the product might again exceed supply, at least for a time.

But the extra work of genuine free-range farmers would be better rewarded, and more people would be enticed into genuine free-range farming.

Large-scale free-range production could continue, but would require low stocking densities.

Several producers have already shown this can be done.

If other producers want to continue to farm eggs or chickens in a less intensive system than cage, but more intensive than genuine free-range, fantastic.

But don't call it "free-range" - come up with your own name.

Do not trade on the hard work of those who came before you, to charge extra money for work you are not doing.

Supermarkets should also take a stand, to protect their own integrity.

Currently supermarkets are selling eggs and meat they realise are not farmed the way the consumer believes.

A pork industry source says 80 per cent of "free-range" pork comes from animals which spent most of their lives indoors.

It's time to take responsibility for this.

There have always been business operators willing to blur definitions in all industries.

The supermarkets have so far shown they are happy to allow the lines to be blurred, and some operators have shown they are willing to take advantage of this.

It is for this reason legislation is needed.

Leslie White is a Weekly Times reporter.