Two major poultry companies say they will now label all eggs produced by battery hens.
The Poultry Industry Association executive director, Michael
Brooks, says Mainland Poultry Limited and Independent Egg Producers
have agreed to label their eggs but it will be three to four months
before the new packaging will be seen on the shelves.
The two companies hold about 85% of the caged market trade.
The announcement came as a petition with more than 50,000
signatures was presented to parliament on Tuesday asking for all
battery hen produced eggs to be labelled as eggs from caged
hens.
National animal advocacy organisation, SAFE, says a Colmar Brunton poll showed almost eight out of 10 New Zealanders are opposed to battery hen farming.
The organisation also says that overseas research shows 30% of people mistakenly think battery eggs are free range.
SAFE campaign director, Hans Kriek, says consumers are being misled about the origin of the eggs they buy because of the names producers use.
He says Europe and several Australian states have already introduced mandatory egg labelling so consumers know how the eggs have been produced.
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