January 3, 2007

Chickens eaten by Australian consumers 100 percent Australian

All chickens eaten in Australia are produced in Australia, despite widespread public perception that Australia still imports chickens, The Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) said.

Executive director of the federation Dr Andreas Dubs said recent research showed that 94 per cent of Australian consumers, if given the choice, would prefer to buy Australian chicken over imported chicken, indicating the high standards of the country's chicken production and processing.

Almost 88 per cent of Australian consumers are concerned about imported chickens, he said. 

As much as 94 percent lacked confidence in the health and hygiene standards used to produce chickens overseas and almost equal numbers worried about the threat of bird flu. Others were concerned about freshness and animal welfare standards applied overseas, Dubs said.