Freeranger – teeth Ay? Obviously a typing error – teeth cutting is in relation to pigs. You do have a point about lighting though. All in all though? Not a bad standard, especially if you are a mixed farm like us. All accreditation under one label. We are members of NASAA already and find them very professional to deal with.

Wendy – Build bridges with the farmers? Heres one farmer that would like to recommend that you burn any bridges linked to PALE, and make it very public that I have no association with PALE whatsoever. I wish you would refrain from saying you work in conjunction with the RSPCA – its just not true. A link on a website does not give you rights to use their name.

Free Ranger

Yes It is very difficult to know who really is what we term free Range.

We have contacted several farms but short of asking them, for eg do you debeak its almost impossible.

Considering that thats is considered legal under the codes of practise at the moment its a nightmare.

Lots of people will say no we dont.

However?
I know you are working hard to improve condtions and get some clear codes.

We will just look forward to any updates as they come.

We also hope you know we appreciate every moment spent regarding your fantasic work.

Maybe we dont say it often enough.

Thanks Free Ranger.

"Question to You is will you still do that?"

Wendy, no I would not still do that lol. One phone call with you
was enough for me to learn my lesson. What you later claimed was
said and as I recall what was said, were very very different.

I never taped the call, so don't have the evidence of what I
recall was said, so I let your comments go through to the
keeper, but still felt rather offended.

So I would have no dealings with you or your company, but others
are free to form their own opinions. Pigfarmer has clearly
formed hers.

So for me its best just to stick to discussions on OLO with you,
then there is a written copy of what was really said.

Yes Pigfarmer I acknowledghe the professionalism of NASAA. We looked at becomming certified organic producers when we started our free range egg production, but the sums just didn't add up. It would have forced us to sell our eggs at around $10 a dozen to cover the costs involved. If the Humane Society standard had been in place then, we may well have gone that route.
Given your obvious feelings for the animals on your farm, I don't understand your earlier comments about 'extreme' animal rights groups. On the world scene, groups don't come much more extreme that the Humane Society International or Compassion in World Farming. Have a look at some of their campaigns. They make the RSPCA look like a bridge club!

Freeranger – you are right, I should have chosen my words a bit better. Extremely misguided groups I suppose I could say. Certainly meant no offence to organisations like HSI. I know what you mean about the organic costs. We were in precertification with our pigs but the price war over organic grain put an end to that. There is so little available and with the outlook for the grain crops this year I think prices will be even worse. Humane Choice couldn’t have come at a better time for us.

Yabby – how right you are. Anyone else receiving phone calls should heed the message.

I still think that a standard is needed, somewhere in between
normal farming and organics. Something like "Clean and Green-Freerange"

In other words, free range farming, no antibiotics or hormones,
etc, but using grain tested and certified free of any chemicals
that people might be concerned about.

There is in fact alot of grain produced using minimal "chemical"
input. In fact alot of the inputs are mainly nutritional,
ie phosphate, potassium and trace elements etc. I've seen a number
of so called organic broadacre farms, slowly deteriorate over time,
with huge symptoms of nutritional deficencies, thats why little
organic grain is produced in relative terms.

In the prime lamb industry, a large % of lambs are already produced
as freerange. They might get a drench if they have worms, fertiliser
might be used on those paddocks, rather then mining the soil,
quite different to factory or industrial farming. I would
describe them as "clean and green-freerange". Perhaps the chicken
and pig industry could look at that kind of option.