Both consumers and businesses have long been unsure about what "free range" means. Credit:Justin McManus He will be pushing for this option at the state and federal consumer affairs ministers meeting on Thursday where it is likely they will agree to a long-awaited free range egg labelling standard. Consumer advocacy group Choice said the "meaningful access" aspect of the proposed definitions was "ridiculous", saying it essentially meant hens don't have to go outside. "If a hen doesn't go outside, that's barn-raised. To claim you can have a free range product with hens not going outside is ridiculous," said Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey. It is pushing for a legal definition based on a model code, developed by the CSIRO, that sets the stocking density for free range as 1500 hens per hectare. This has been dismissed by the industry.

Consumer affairs ministers are set to tick off on a mandatory information standard for free range egg labelling. Credit:Getty Images "Genuine free range farmers think it's going to put their businesses in jeopardy," he said. "These guys have worked for a long time to build up a brand that has integrity. That's clearly been hijacked, because the big supermarkets and Big Egg wants a price premium they haven't earned." Earlier this month, Coles and Woolworths egg supplier Sunny Queen Farms said it was committed to lowering free range stocking density to 1500 hens per hectare, based on in-house research on consumer expectations. A how-to-vote leaflet for Barnaby Joyce, authorised by caged egg producer Bede Burke. "In essence, each Sunny Queen Farms free range chook has more space outside than a king size bed," Sunny Queen's managing director John O'Hara had said.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce alarmed consumer and animal welfare groups when he revealed he and Small Business Minister Kelly O'Dwyer had resolved the egg labelling issue between them and Thursday's meeting would be the final tick-off point. "I'm basically as happy as I think I could be and have gone as far as I think we're going to get on the issue. And in talking to egg producers they're pretty well on side with where we are now," Mr Joyce, also Deputy Prime Minister, had said. Groups such as Choice and Humane Society International raised fears Mr Joyce, who has strong connections to industrial producers, exercised undue influence over the consultation process, leading to the list of legal definitions favouring larger farmers. Old election campaign material for Mr Joyce has surfaced that show were authorised by Bede Burke, an industrial egg producer who is also chairman of NSW Farmers' Egg Committee. Mr Burke told Fairfax Media that as the chairman of the NSW Nationals Party, and with Mr Joyce being his local federal member, he authorised the material during the last election.

He said there was an incredible growth in free range egg producers, something not seen with ordinary and barn raised production, and the industry wanted clarity and certainty. "We don't hide the from the fact we've been out there influencing [ministers] hard or harder than Choice has. That's the only way we're going to get a good outcome," he said. "This has been a battle royale for us, an ongoing battle. I've sat at the table with the Ministers and Choice, and Choice at times have no answer to the logic we put forward." He said the industry did not back the status quo option, which saw case law around free range being developed following a series of legal action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Kelly O'Dwyer, also Assistant Treasurer, said her aim was to balance consumers' need for clear and accurate information with any potential red-tape burden for producers and retailers.

"The Government has consulted widely, beginning consultations in October. The matter will be considered by federal, state and territory Consumer Affairs Ministers when we meet this week," she said. Richard Langford, a South Australian free range egg farmer with 1500 hens per hectare, said he was disappointed by the final list of options. He said he was concerned My Joyce was "looking after a few industrialised, low employing egg producers that are keen to cash in on millions of dollars consciously spent by consumers purchasing what they believe to be a genuine ethical product." Mr Langford, who's run Fleurieu Free Range Eggs for 16 years, said the Treasury's consultation committee had asked for an alternative label name for 1500 hens per hectare, such as open range or low density free range. "It appears that the industrial producers who claim to be Free Range have convinced Treasury and the ministers that they are to use the Free Range label," he said. "Consumers are about to permanently ripped off and Genuine Free Range egg producers manouevred out of the market."