Egg producers lax with quality licences

Less than 20 percent of Australian egg producers hold a licence that guarantees quality to the consumer through the Egg Corp Assured auditing system set up by the industry in November 2004.

The Australian Egg Corporation confirmed yesterday that only 79 of its more than 400 members had been granted licences under the Egg Corp Assured scheme.

Eggs produced under the scheme must meet standards concerning animal welfare, animal health, food safety, environmental management and labelling.

But only seven out of 19 suppliers to Queensland's largest egg distributor, Sunny Queen, hold the licences.

A spokeswoman for Pace Farm, the largest single supplier of eggs in the country, said that the company's egg producers were working through the accreditation process, which was exceptionally stringent.

Editor WorldPoultry