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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to wonder if free range eggs are a big cruel con?

110 replies

evilcherub · 13/03/2016 10:14

I normally buy free range eggs even though they are much more expensive than normal eggs but now I am wondering if they are a bit of a con, considering what can be classified as "free range". I have always wondered how free the birds really are and how easy it is to get a free range classification and it seems I have got an answer - (yes it is a Daily Mail article, but please don't let your prejudice get in the way of the point it is making);

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3489317/And-call-free-range-s-disturbing-images-16-000-free-range-hens-crammed-shed-fact-conditions-approved-RSPCA.html

OP posts:
DangerQuakeRhinoSnake · 01/08/2016 13:19

Japanese I agree with all of your posts (except you meant aim for meat a few times a week, not a few times a day, right? Wink). I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I do know that what I choose for me and my family has an impact on other living creatures and I do consider that in my decision making. The rise of food intolerances may be concerning, BUT with all the new alternative foods now on offer, it gives a good choice for all of us.

powershowerforanhour · 01/08/2016 17:17

Paperdoll, rose veal is produced in the UK (calves allowed feed with fibre and iron content suitable for their age rather than being kept on milk alone for too long as per traditional white veal production).

limitedperiodonly · 01/08/2016 18:55

I was confused by the idea that veal isn't produced in the UK powershower. I like veal but will eat only UK-reared meat.

sashh · 02/08/2016 03:50

PhilPhilConnors

Should we (consumers) be pushing for eggs from 'utility breeds'? Or does that only apply to small scale production?

BluePitchFork · 02/08/2016 07:19

I cannot imagine that there is no hybrid meat/egg chicken.
yes yields wouldn't be as high, but that would definitly be something I would buy if available.

DangerQuakeRhinoSnake · 02/08/2016 07:55

I can't believe it's not possible to create such a breed, if one didn't already exist.

intheBondiBubble · 02/08/2016 07:59

Not sure if this is available in the uk but I use an app which will scan the egg carton label and tell you how 'free' the range really is,
CluckAR - The Augmented Reality Free Range Egg Detector by CHOICE
appsto.re/au/4vZkbb.i

PhilPhilConnors · 02/08/2016 11:07

There are utility breeds, but they could never be farmed on an industrial, supermarket supplying scale.
They tend to eat more than egg-type hybrids, and produce smaller eggs in far fewer numbers (eg. Up to 200 a year as opposed to 300+ large eggs).
They also take a lot longer to rear to a suitable weight, months as opposed to 7-10 weeks like specific meat hybrids.
Margins are so narrow in farming that farmers are forced to cut back so often that we have ended up in this situation of animals being massively exploited and labels and boxes are an exercise in finding wordy loopholes (eg outdoor bred pork - piglets are conceived outdoors, but born and reared intensively indoors, consumer thinks they are buying higher welfare meat).

IMO, if you're buying from a supermarket, buy organic, burford Browns, those brands. I don't think there is much difference buying caged or free range tbh, it's only a marketing spin with improvements for only a few chickens.
If you can find local chicken keepers, the eggs will be better quality and probably cheaper (we sell ours for £2 a dozen), but as most people have hybrids (we have a few) they will still have come from hatcheries which need to dispatch all the male chicks. Unfortunately there is no viable alternative to killing male chicks, as they are, in farming terms, useless, unless they are meat hybrids, and even there females are seen as superior as they have lower bone:meat ratios.

If there was ever an enthusiastic land owner who could set up a system using utility birds, I imagine there would be a market in specialist shops, but the margins would never work for this to,become a mainstream option.

BluePitchFork · 02/08/2016 11:44

phil that's quite sad :(

elgol · 02/08/2016 15:11

It is sad. It's the reality of food though. If people won't or can't pay a premium for existing free range products (meaty chicken and big eggs) I can't see people paying even more for a less meaty chicken and smaller eggs.

We eat too much meat as a nation. It would be a hard habit to change across the board.

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