A poultry affair: Poultry Standards and Guidelines remain in limbo.

Blog

A poultry affair: Poultry Standards and Guidelines remain in limbo.

RSPCA Australia
Tuesday, 14 January 2025

Subscribe to our blog

In July 2023, updated national Poultry Standards and Guidelines were finalised and endorsed by all state and territory Agriculture Ministers following a lengthy seven-year review process.

These Standards, when implemented, will mean significant improvements in poultry welfare, from better living conditions for turkeys and ducks to the long-awaited phase-out of battery cages for layer hens.

However, more than a year later, progress remains slow. While all states endorsed the national Standards and Guidelines, Australia’s approach to animal welfare legislation means that – even though the national standards and guidelines are specifically intended to help achieve consistency – each state and territory is responsible for implementing them. So far, only Western Australia has begun implementing the changes.

It’s been over eight years since the process began, with delays affecting millions of farmed poultry every year. So why the hold up?

Important animal welfare improvements awaiting implementation

Poultry – including chickens farmed for meat, ducks, turkeys and layer hens – are among the most intensively farmed animals in Australia. The updated standards aim to improve the living conditions of poultry in their environment, with enrichment and other important provisions.

Some key welfare improvements awaiting implementation in most states and territories include:

Better enrichment for smart and curious turkeys – under the new Standard turkeys must be provided with perches and objects to peck at, as well as environmental enrichment including foraging materials and lighting regimes that support natural behaviours for resting and activity.
Water access for ducks – current regulations require ducks are provided with drinking water only, but ducks are waterfowl and need bodies of water to submerge themselves in for their physical and mental wellbeing. Under the new Standard, breeding ducks must have access to water to allow natural behaviours like preening, head dipping and dabbling by 2032.
Legislated improvements for ALL chickens farmed for meat – new requirements mandate improvements for all farmed chickens to be provided with quality litter, ventilation, rest periods through lighting regimes, and increased space allowances that support natural movement, such as wing flapping. While the majority of chickens raised for meat in Australia are farmed to the RSPCA Approved Standard, these updated welfare standards will still legislate upgraded conditions for all meat chickens.
Phase out of barren battery cages for layer hens – arguably the most celebrated and hard-won improvement to layer hen welfare has been a phase out of cruel battery cages by 2036. While the long timeframe is disappointing, once the standards are implemented millions of layer hens will no longer spend their lives confined in wire cages, with less than the size of an A4 sheet of paper per hen.

All these improvements focus on promoting positive welfare, allowing birds to express their natural behaviours, and in the case of barren battery cages, alleviating the suffering and poor welfare imposed by outdated methods of farming.

We can do better for animals

Australia is falling behind internationally in phasing out cage eggs, with 30 of the 36 nations of the OECD either having phased out battery cages or in the process of getting rid of them.

The delay in implementing the Standards affects not only layer hens but also turkeys, ducks, chickens farmed for meat, and other poultry species.

And this fragmented situation highlights the need for greater consistency and urgency across state and territory borders because without coordinated action, progress will remain erratic, leaving producers in limbo and welfare improvements sitting on the table.

We call on all state and territory governments to demonstrate their commitment to animal welfare by progressing the decision they endorsed in July 2023, follow the leadership of the WA government, and align their actions with community values and expectations that overwhelmingly support these changes, with nearly 8 out of 10 Australians supporting a phase out of battery cages.

* If you would like to help our poultry and demonstrate your support towards the implementation of the Poultry Standards and Guidelines, visit byebyebatterycages.com.au to learn more and show your support.

Share this post

Copy link

Subscribe today and we’ll keep you updated on all the latest campaigns, events and news.

We care about your data in our privacy policy.

Our role

Animal welfare science

Caring for animals

Farm animal welfare

Public education

Advocacy

Enforcing the law

Key issues

News

Blog

Media centre

Podcast

Support us

Learn

Knowledgebase Offsite

Animal Welfare Seminar

Animal Welfare Science Update

Education resources

Cage free and proud

Choose Wisely

Responsible sourcing

RSPCA Approved Standards

About

Annual reports

Annual statistics

Board & governance

Scholarships

Join our team

Our history

Contact

Adopt

Adopting a dog or puppy

Adopting a cat or kitten

Adopting other animals

Responsible pet ownership

A poultry affair: Poultry Standards and Guidelines remain in limbo.

Stay informed on big issues and how you can help improve animal welfare across Australia.