new standards allow for up to 10,000 birds per hectare, with no requirement for the hens to actually go outside. Choice, Australia's largest non-profit consumer organisation believes Australia's consumer affairs ministers made the decision to put the interests of large-scale Australian egg producers ahead of the needs of consumers. A group called PROOF (standing for Pasture Raised On Open Fields) is now in the process of developing an accreditation scheme which will see the term "pastured" start appearing on cartons. The guidelines for PROOF's pastured eggs allow for a maximum stocking density of 1500 birds per hectare (in line with the CSIRO Model Code) as well as requiring that hens are able to range freely in open fields or paddocks. So far, PROOF has 12 licensed egg farms in Australia, with another eight in the pipeline. Environmental Impact Free range eggs carry an environmental cost. This is mainly because in Free Range egg production systems, the habitat is difficult to control and the resource required to produce eggs is higher than in caged egg production. A study done in the University of Newcastle, UK, showed a 16% increase in greenhouse gas emissions from a Free Range facility compared to a battery cage facility. Rehoming charities In the UK, charities such as Fresh Start for Hens and British Hen Welfare Trust organise rehoming for ex-factory hens that would otherwise be slaughtered. Private smallholders pay around £4-5 per "rescue hen", and these birds (which may still be laying daily) then spend a "retirement" in a true free-range environment. The BHW Trust says that there is no better education than watching an ex-battery hen's confusion and bewilderment turn into wonderment at her new environment. See also Organic egg production Free range Yarding Pastured poultry Factory farming Chickens as pets The Happy Egg Company References Animal welfare Poultry farming Eggs (food)