Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Set up your own freerange farm

 You can help to meet growing demand for freerange eggs by setting up your own farm.

More genuine free range farms are needed to give consumers a real choice.The Australian free range standard allows intensive producers to sell eggs with  misleading free-range labels. Egg cartons must display stocking densities, but there’s no actual requirement for the chickens to go outside, so the labels are meaningless.

High stocking densities are more stressful for the chicken. Hens can display some aggressive behaviours such as pecking, bullying and even cannibalism as they fight it out to maintain their hierarchy in cramped conditions, making way for justifications for widespread beak-trimming and de-beaking.10,000 hens per hectare is not sustainable or responsible farming.A laying hen produces half a cubic metre of manure a year. So with a stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare farmers who follow the advice see their land covered with 5000 cubic metres of manure per hectare every year. High levels of ammonia in hen manure can destroy soil health and leach into the ground, leading to contamination of waterways. labelling requirements and standards for free range egg production introduced by [poiticians in 2018 destroyed any remaining consumer confidence in the Australian egg industry.

The standard allowed intensive production systems to be classified as free range and protects intensive producers from prosecution under Australian Consumer Law. We still have an eBook available to help you set your own freerange egg farm. Details are on our website



Friday, March 01, 2024

Background of Freeranger Eggs

Meet Anne and Phil Westwood, Freeranger Eggs Grantville

Anne spent years as an office systems manager before moving into farming. She was brought up in Cranbourne where her dad established Faceys Nursery, so she has an extensive knowledge of the area with its native vegetation and wildlife. She took part in a bushland management course with the National Trust, learning with experts, Randal Robinson and Darcy Duggan For several years she was the voluntary Co-ordinator of the Friends of Bass Valley Bush Landcare Group, primarily responsible for office administration as well as organising native vegetation and wildlife surveys.

She was appointed West Gippsland Regional Manager of the Trust for Nature – a Victorian Government Statutory Authority. Once she started work with the Trust she quickly identified the need to protect stands of native vegetation providing linkages through the Strzelecki ranges down to Westernport and started the process of evaluating them for covenants on private land.Her role was to protect, in perpetuity, native vegetation providing linkages from Mullundung through the Strzelecki ranges down to Westernport and started the process of evaluating them for covenants on private land. She worked with Friends of Gippsland Bush and Friends of the Earth to protect key areas from logging, culminating in an agreement with the Victorian Government known as the Bruatalong Park linking Tarra Bulga National Park in the east with the Gunyah Gunyah Rainforest Reserve in the West.The Banksia Environmental Foundation awarded her a Banksia Medal in 2006 for her work in protecting native orchids. She also operated a native wildlife shelter on the farm, The Margo Kyoyer Pedersen Wildlife Shelter, and was instrumental in revegetation works at Corinella’s Settlement point and in establishing a community garden at the Corinella Community Centre. Anne is also an Environmental Auditor, having a completed a course designed by Professor David Bellamy. She set up Grantville Action Group with Phil in a bid to ensure adequate controls on sand extraction companies when plans were revealed in the area. We later established Friends of Bass Valley Bush Inc. Landcare Group to generate awareness of the natural landscape and wildlife in the region. Our farm was the Australian winner of the 2012 Energy Globe international Award for sustainability. Anne and Phil moved from their 20acre property on the Powlett River in Wonthaggi to the 200 acre farm on the Bass River at Grantville where they established Freeranger Eggs.



At various times, Phil has been a Board member of Westernport Water, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority and the Central Coastal Board. He was the community member on the Working Group established to prepare the Regional Sand Extraction Strategy, Lang Lang to Grantville.


Phil was a journalist with experience in the UK and Rhodesia before being recruited in London by legendary Age editor, Graham Perkin in the 1970’s to work as a finance journalist on The Age and then he moved into public relations with Jennings Industries, followed by the Housing Industry Association, the Real Estate Institute of Victoria and Australian Jewish Welfare, then editing a variety of magazines, including Power Farming and Prime Time. He also provided public relations services to a number of companies, including South Gippsland’s Coldon Homes. He is an Environmental Auditor and was a co author of the Report funded by the Natural Heritage Trust, ‘Baseline Studies of Bass River’ published in the 1990’s.

Anne and Phil lhave encouraged other people to establish genuine free range farms using the principles set out in an eBook and various on-farm workshops. The farm has a website, freeranger.com.au and this blog.  Phil also publishes a political blog ‘politics is a dirty word’ As a result of experience in activating community groups and a hassle with a builder he wrote a handbook on direct action ‘Fighting to Win’ which was used as a text in some community development programs.He has been national President of Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia Inc. and an auditor for the National Egg Quality Assurance Program (Egg Corp Assured).

Smoke from the Hazelwood coal mine fire in 2014 hung around many parts of South Gippsland and created breathing difficulties for Phil which led to his first- ever asthma attack and triggered heart failure with atrial fibrilation and a stroke. He survived, but hasn’t been much use around the farm since then, leaving Anne to shoulder all the work. They are now facing problems maintaining the sustainability of the farm because actions of Bass Coast Shire threaten vegetation management and water flows.

Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Double yolkers are great

 We are often asked why some eggs have two yolks. A double yolk occurs in an egg when a chicken releases two yolks into the same ova. They are often produced by young chickens as their reproductive systems have not fully matured prompting the release of two yolks instead of one.


Friday, January 26, 2024

20 million chickens can't keep up with Australia's demand for eggs

 With 20 million chickens in Australia and an average of 18 million eggs consumed each day, farmers throughout the country struggle to keep up with demand. Even a slight drop in production creates an immediate shortfall.One simple solution to help solve the egg shortage is to have your own hens at home to lay eggs for your family or set up your own small business. Check the freeranger website and our eBook which is ready to be forwarded to you as a pdf.


Lamb bbq for Australia Day

 nothing better than lamb chops on the barbie to celebrate Australia Day.

Maybe some loud music from Cosmic Psychos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtSUEIOJ398

Saturday, January 13, 2024

VALE Wesson

 Anyone who has been to the farm has known Wesson, our elderly Dingo/Smithfield cross. Unfortunately he will no longer greet visitors as he died last night. He was always happy even though in recent years he has been virtually blind and deaf. VALE Wesson old friend, we will miss you.  So will the Maremmas as they will have to control the foxes without your help.


Sunday, December 31, 2023

We don't get apologies like this from our government leader

 A woman in Moscow had a simple request for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin:  ‘ Bring down the price of eggs.’

Her criticism prompted an apology from Mr Putin who said it was a “failure of the government’s work” that egg prices have soared 40% in 2023 at the same time,egg exports grew by more than 17%..


Economic analysts point to the increase in military spending that has caused inflation in consumer goods as well as sanctions following the Ukraine war.To help solve the problem, Belarus has increased supplies of chicken eggs to Russia - more than 11 million eggs were exported in the first ten days of January -almost twice as much as in the same period last year. 

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Australia needs many more genuine freerange farms

Genuine freerange eggs can't be found on supermarket shelves. Help to solve the egg shortage by keeping hens at home to lay eggs for your family or set up your own small business like Anne and Phil  Westwood. Check the freeranger website and our eBook which is ready to be forwarded to you as a pdf.