"If you wish to be taken seriously then you need to take other people seriously as well."

Scout, I will take people seriously, if they bother to quote
accurate and uptodate information. Otherwise I can only judge
them by the quality of that information and judge them accordingly.

I know nothing of the RSPCA standards for free range poultry, but there are no mutilations of any kind allowed for the pig standard.

The RSPCA charge 2% of all sales (wholesale) that will carry their logo - they do not take part of your farm! Were did that information come from?

I had had an RSPCA inspector here all morning. He has travelled 8 hours from Sydney, he now has to follow my pigs to the abbatior, witness their humane slaughter, stay in accomodation and then travel the 8 hours back. I do not have to pay for any of this. When accreditation is thru, will I benifit from the use of their logo? I have no doubt I will. So 2% of RSPCA labelled sales, a small price to pay for their service and the promotion to our business.

And, shouldnt we support an organisation that is actually doing something to benifit the welfare of pigs? Far more benificial that donating to an obscure organisation that doesnt have a track record for any free range programs.

To all concerned.

Would farmers really support Compassion in World Farming and their “eat less meat” campaign? It sounds like a thinly disguised pre-persuasion attempt to ‘educate” people to accept vegetarian propaganda by a middle of the road organisation. If a clever vegetarian organization decided to do exactly that they would only need to copy the approach of that organization. To make it perfectly clear I am not suggesting that CIWF are a vegetarian organization. However for whatever reason their “eat less meat” campaign does demonize meat eating and they do seem to have succumbed to that type of thinking.

Likewise Animals Australia and their openly pro-vegetarian stance means that I’d be surprised if they can do much for farmers. Clearly they are making a slight concession from the normal vegetarian extremist approach but they obviously want to eradicate meat production entirely.

Do you think that farmers may not accept organizations with views that will take away their livelihood or who promote those types of viewpoints.

Free Ranger

Interesting angle on the poultry Free Range Egg debate and who better to here it from.
We are aware you have lone led the way to proper Free Range practise.
We will be most interested so please keep this forum informed.
If the accrediations are still handed out where over crowding is allowed and debeaking we will have to do something about it.

It would seem then its probably not! a good idea.

I was speaking with another very large Free Range Farmer last night who said he prefered not to.

So Free Ranger given that overcrowding in these sheds is clearly still a major issue and just one step better then caged hens surley we can get another accreditation through NASA and The H Soceity for eg?
We have been working with them on the cattle sheep etc and I would assume you have had contact in the past as well?.

We are doing up a web page for Free Range so will need to know who isnt and who is doing the right thing.

Your Correct Debeaking and crowed sheds should not be promoted thats for sure.

So its clear we require more people who are interested to get into real Free Range Egg Farming.

Do you think the good ones such as yourself may see this promoting Free Range Farms and encouraging others to get involved as a threat to their own free Range Business Free Ranger.?

That is another side that has put put to our office.

If So wouldnt you feel that it might be many years indeed considering the shortage of supply.?

How would you think it could be overcome that and what can we do about it to get people off bums and actually starting up in Free Range?

Great work on the Fish Scout Robert. PALE are working on a new animal welfact act up herein QLD to stop people ordering lobsters and cutting in half alive when served at the table.[yuk]
Its a Japanese dish.
hard to police however.
Scout you have clearly done some great research.

Well wendy you have sunk to new lows - how is that possible?

I should let everyone know that Wendy has had someone ring me (claiming to be her solicitor) complaining that wendy thinks my comments are defamatory. I told him to put in writing (then we can all see it)

No, this is not off topic. Its just off! This is a public forum but look at the lengths she will go to to try and stop anyone voicing an opinion different to her own or pointing out her inaccurancies (as she so freely does herself) Do you ever stop and think about your actions wendy? Do you think I am intimidated?

Wake up to yourself.

Wendy
I think NASA is happy for the Free Range Farmers Association to handle the free range definition. There is now a draft of the proposed definition on the website at http://www.freerangefarmers.com.au The big producers will no doubt fight it because they can't run large flocks without de-beaking (or at least they can't with the hybrid birds they want to use to maximise production).
I certainly don't see any problem with encouraging more genuine free range eggs farms. The demand is phenominal which is why the big producers want a major slice of the action. All the members of the Free Range Farmers Association have difficulty meeting demand so more genuine producers will benefit everyone.