Where is the ACT’s Jamie Oliver to champion chooks?
ACT Greens MLA Dr Deb Foskey asked today what was delaying action on the ACT Government’s decision not to procure eggs laid by battery hens.
“Last year, instead of agreeing to my bill to phase out battery egg production in the ACT, the Government committed to ensuring that all eggs used by Government agencies are from non-battery cage sources. This includes hospitals, CIT, schools and other canteens,” said Deb Foskey.
“Again we are lagging. In Britain, Wirral and Wigan local councils have banned battery hen eggs from kitchens in schools, care homes, town halls and canteens. The move is being hailed as a victory for chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who recently highlighted the issue on their TV shows, encouraging people to lobby their local authorities.”
“As the UK and EU have committed to ending battery cage egg production systems by 2012, councils were going to have to convert to free-range eggs anyway, but the public pressure from the Jamie Oliver campaign has sped this up by a few years.”
“While it is great to hear that big name chefs are promoting battery-free eggs and chickens, we also have to remember that there have been long-standing campaigns by community groups such as Compassion in World Farming and the Greens.”
“Although the additional cost to each Council is around £5000 per annum, council bosses believe it is worth it if it means schoolchildren, elderly people and town hall workers are eating cruelty-free food, which is also healthier for them.”
“When I asked Mr Stanhope when the ACT was going to keep his promise to order barn or free range eggs, he said that it was a complex issue which I took to mean that nothing has happened yet.”
“Does the ACT need its own celebrity chef to convince Mr Stanhope that we need to hurry up or will he listen to the thousands who signed petitions and wrote emails before the government and Opposition rejected my legislation?”
