Cage size laws are the last straw
The South Australian Farmers Federation (SAFF) says that local production of eggs could fall by up to 80 percent, because producers are being forced out of the industry.
According to the federation, producers cannot afford to upgrade their properties so that they will meet new regulations that require increased cage sizes.
Warren Starick, who is head of the federation’s poultry section, says that he will shut down his own egg production by the end of the year.
He says that producers have been unable to upgrade their facilities because they are already battling with consecutive years of drought, price wars and the flooding of eggs from interstate.
“About four or five years ago we would have had 80 producers,” Starick said. “There’s a number that have closed down already, some quite big ones.
Starick estimates that only 10, or at the most 20, producers in the state will be able to stay in business.
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