08.08.2014

An egg farmer in New Zealand who admitted duping consumers by passing off 2.47 million eggs from caged hens as free-range has claimed the practice is widespread.
But an industry body rejects this, although it concedes it ultimately comes down to the honesty of farmers to provide correct labelling on their products.
John Garnett, owner of now-defunct Northland egg producer Forest Hill Farm, was sentenced to 12 months' home detention and 200 hours' community service in the Whangarei District Court.
Between April 2010 and November 2011 Garnett and his company falsely packaged and sold more than 206,000 dozen eggs as free-range or barn-laid. The chickens were actually kept in cages.
The Commerce Commission estimated that Forest Hill Farm made an additional $376,000 from the sale of the falsely labelled eggs - with a retail value of more than $1 million.