The Australian Federal Court ruled that Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd and Bartter Enterprises Ltd – companies that process and supply Steggles-branded chicken products – had engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct by describing on packaging and in advertising that its chickens were “free to roam” when that was not the case.
Chick - Paraty, Brazil, 2012
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which initiated proceedings against the companies in September 2011, claimed that Steggles’ statistics indicated consistent stocking densities of between 17.4 and 19.6 chickens per square metre. It said that equated to access to floor space less than the size of an A4 piece of paper and contradicted the claim that they were “free to roam”.
Federal Court Justice Richard Tracey said that at times in their growth cycle the chickens “could not move more than a metre or so (at most) without having their further movement obstructed by a barrier of clustered birds”, the ACCC said.
The Australian Chicken Meat Federation was also found to have engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct by claiming on its website that chickens produced in Australia were “free to roam” or able to “roam freely” in large barns.
You can read the full article on the News website.
