Australian Eggs (AE) is the major marketer of
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
in Australia. It is a producer-owned corporation, representing approximately 400 commercial egg producers and is based in
Sydney. The activities of AE include
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
,
research and development, and policy services. According to its website, it runs public awareness campaigns on
animal welfare,
nutrition
Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...
, and
vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified. development. However, it has received criticism from animal welfare organisations for using these terms for promotional purposes. The corporation is affiliated with the
International Egg Commission (IEC).
AE was created by an act of
federal parliament
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...
in 2002 as a
statutory authority to replace the
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
Agrifutures Australia, formerly the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), is an Australian statutory corporation set up by the Australian Government in 1990 to help fund research and development in Australian rural ind ...
, as the peak egg body in the country.
In September 2004, the corporation hosted the Annual Conference of the IEC in Sydney. It was awarded the International body's most prestigious prize, the Golden Egg Award. At the same presentation night, the Australian egg industry was judged as the best in the world by an international judging panel.
In July 2005, the corporation funded a trip for Brian Spotts of Colorado, to break the world record of standing eggs on end.
In 2013, consumer rights organisation
Choice
A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models. For example, a traveler might choose a route for a journey based on the preference of arriving at a give ...
made a super-complaint against AE after it proposed to change the definition for
free range eggs
Free-range eggs are eggs produced from birds that may be permitted outdoors. The term "free-range" may be used differently depending on the country and the relevant laws, and is not regulated in many areas.
Eggs from hens that are only indoors ...
in Australia from 2,000 hens per hectare to 10,000 hens per hectare. In 2014, AE was fined $30,000 for faking an egg shortage during an oversupply to boost their profits.
Egg producers sought to cull chickens and destroy eggs in bid to raise prices: ACCC
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External links
Australian EggsInternational Egg CommissionArticle regarding world-record winner for balancing eggs, a venture funded by the AECL
References
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Agriculture companies of Australia
Government-owned companies of Australia
Poultry farming in Australia
Egg organizations
Australian companies established in 2002
Agriculture companies established in 2002