The Federal Court this week fined Pirovic Enterprises Pty Ltd $300,000 for misleading consumers that their eggs were free-range.  The decision was reported in various media outlets, including ABC News.

The ACCC believes this decision will set a precedent for future cases as the court has effectively defined what constitutes a free-range claim, being that hens have to be able to move around freely on an open range on an ordinary day.  An “ordinary day” is considered to be every day other than a day when on the open ranges weather conditions endangered the safety or health of the laying hens or predators were present or the laying hens were being medicated.

The judgment is available from our ‘Cases of Interest‘ page.

For background to the matter, see http://bawp.org.au/accc-institutes-proceedings-free-range-egg-producers/.