The free range pork industry is awaiting the return of the NSW Parliament to hear some answers from the government in relation to questions about the use of the term ‘free range’ when use in the labelling of pork.
State MP Clover Moore late last year asked a series of questions of the Minister for Primary Industry inquiring about the Government’s support for the establishment of a standard definition for genuine free range pork.
Moore’s move follows a campaign by the Free Range Pork Farmers Association (FRPFA), a small group of free range pork farmers who have established a charter and certification for best practice free range pork rearing.
It also follows the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s dismissal of a complaint of misleading advertising by members of the free range pork industry about some producers use of the term ‘free range’ to describe pork that was ‘free range bred’. Free range bred piglets are born outdoors but once weaned are moved into sheds or shelters.
In her questions Moore asked if the NSW Government was aware of the ACCC’s statement that consumers were not aware of the difference between “free range” and “bred free range”.
She also asked what investigations the Government had taken into the pork industry’s use of the term “free range” on labels to sell pork in NSW and also what consideration the NSW Government had given to banning the use of the term “bred free range” which includes pork from pigs raised indoors “including in sow stalls and farrowing crates”.
FRPFA spokesperson and free range pork farmer Lee McCosker said that the majority of consumers they had surveyed were “astounded” that there was no standard definition for free range pork. “They automatically assume it’s regulated, like organic certification,” she said.
“The free range pork industry is growing fast, as consumers become educated about the ethical issues associated with intensive pig farming, as well as the quality and health benefits.”
“A clear definition and sensible regulation are essential to avoid consumer confusion and unscrupulous marketing methods by a small portion of the intensive farming industry,” she said.