Welcome to FREPA...

    Free Range Egg & Poultry Australia Ltd. is a group of dedicated Free Range producers who are setting high standards of production and quality. Our members are committed to providing to consumers products that reflect those standards.

    Consumers can recognise eggs and poultry from our growers by the Accreditation Label on the packaging.

    To be accredited it is necessary for our growers to have an understanding of land care, environmental, biosecurity and animal welfare issues, and animal diseases, and to comply with the most recent additions of:

    For Meat Production:

    • RangeCare

    • FREPA Free Range Meat Bird Standards

    • Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Poultry.

    • Code of Practice for the Land Transport of Poultry.

    For Egg Production:

    • RangeCare

    • FREPA Free Range Egg Standards.

    • Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Poultry.

    • Code of Practice for the Land Transport of Poultry.

    • Department of Human Services’ Shell Egg Code of Production.

    Egg producers need know how to Candle eggs and it is recommended that a Candling course is undertaken and that they are familiar with:

    • Egg Quality Handbook. - Queensland Department of Primary Industries.

    Most importantly, they follow a HACCP based system which minimizes the chance of something going wrong. It does this by identifying where the critical control points are, ensuring these are checked regularly,setting up systems to deal with the control points and keeping appropriate records.

    RangeCare is our approach to a quality product. We are concerned with the marketing of eggs and poultry, but the credibility of both the product and our farmers. In our system, the management of pasture, the trees for the birds to nest and dust bathe, the quality and amount of food, the prevention of disease, the protection of the birds from predators are all very important.

    This, of course, means that our members put in a lot of work. Members do it because they are concerned to give the birds a good life-it is satisfying to see the chooks strutting around, having dust baths and scratching for bugs- and to produce a product which tastes fantastic!

    History

    When the Victorian Egg industry deregulated in 1993, a number if existing free range producers saw the need to form an association similar to those already in existence in New South Wales and Queensland.

    This was to ensure that standards for genuine free range production would be set and the consumer would have a way of recognising a genuine product. The first meeting of the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Victoria Incorporated took place in October 1993 and by the following year the first farms were being inspected for accreditation.

    In November 2002 FREPA became a Company Limited by Guarantee and is now Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia Limited.

    We are working hard to:

    • represent our growers;

    • have our logo instantly recognised in the market place as the sign of a quality product;

    • inform all tiers of government, the media and other organizations about Free Range production;

    • educate existing and potential farmers about the various aspects of Free Range farming and marketing so that they are well-equipped to meet future challenges.

    Our farmers are interested in producing a quality product. The eggs and meat are produced under conditions which are friendly to the bird and to the environment. Our members abide by conditions which show an interest in: animal welfare, animal health, environmental sustainability, land care and public health.

    Our logo is distinctive and eye catching. It is used on the packaging of accredited eggs and chicken meat. This label is the consumer's assurance of a genuine free range product. Of course, the fact that our growers have a great tasting product, is the best promotion of all!

    The future will bring many challenges to all farmers. To help our growers to remain competitive we have a list of Standards which we have developed into a Code of Practice. We are working to increase growers' knowledge of marketing and keep up-to-date with technical information. Free Range does not mean that we are unscientific or reject technical advances. We simply insist that these changes take into account animal welfare and environmental considerations.

    The future is very exciting and FREPA is aiming to be a force to be reckoned with!