January 4, 2007

South Australia may lose most of its poultry farmers over cage-size laws

The South Australian Farmers Federation (SAFF) issued dire warnings of falling local egg production Wednesday (Jan 3) as its says producers are being forced out of the industry due to tighter regulations on cage sizes.

According to the federation, producers can no longer afford to upgrade their farms to meet new regulations calling for increased cage sizes.

Even the head of the federation's poultry section, Warren Starick said he would shut down his own egg production by the end of the year.

Producers, with their finances already strained by years of drought and price wars, could no longer come up with the money to upgrade their facilities, he said, noting that even some large producers have closed down.

Starick estimates that the state could lose up to 80 percent of its current producers should the regulations be enforced.