Jun 27, 2011
Tasmania egg producers to stamp eggs
Tasmania was angered by the new regulations created by the Federal Government that call for egg producers to stamp every egg they sell.
Tasmanian commercial egg producers are outraged by the plan, hatched by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, to make the stamping of individual eggs compulsory within 18 months.
The standard requires all eggs including duck and quail to have their shells stamped with a unique identifier, enhancing traceability back to the farm in the event of a food-related illness.
Tasmanian Commercial Egg Producers Association president John Groenewold said producers would be forced to install expensive stamping machines, or to stamp eggs by hand.
"It will not achieve a thing except push up costs for producers," said Groenewold, who yesterday (Jun 26) urged the State Government to join a Victorian effort to block the measure.
Local producers added their voices to a blistering attack by Victorian Food Security Minister Peter Walsh, who called the standard illogical.
"Egg shells are thrown straight in the bin or compost and are rarely traceable by the time a food-related illness has been reported and an association with eggs has been established," Walsh said.
Groenewold said the idea put forward by large Queensland egg producers, which already exported stamped eggs to Tasmania threatened the viability of small local producers.
He said a single stamping machine, costing about AUD5000 (US$5219), should cope with his modest barn-laid egg line but he would need a second back-up machine in case one failed.
Primary Industries Minister Bryan Green said the government intended to follow through with the nationally agreed stamping standard as part of its Primary Produce Food Safety Bill.
