[Anthony Butcher]

Originally Posted by Astrocat

This article lists the guidelines along with appropriate comments.... so, I'll let Rachel Cummins do the talking here :
Free range poultry and eggs - DEFRA guidelines

So, do you know this already and truly think that's all ok ?

Having read through it, the free range guidelines look OK to me. Not ideal, but still substantially better than battery farmed birds. In all circumstances I would prefer something to be free range than battery farmed. I certainly don't see anything there that makes me think that it is horrific.

I would also point out that 'free range' is the standard that the Vegetarian Society states to be the minimum acceptable standard.
http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/recipes/freerange.htm

The article is very useful because it lists several different and better free range standards:
'Traditional Free Range'
'Free Range - Total Freedom'
RSPCA’s Freedom Food label
Soil Association (Red Tractor?)

We should endeavour to include these as suggested labelling ideals for companies that use them.

Originally Posted by Astrocat

What do you mean by 'appropriate' ?

Labels are only useful as long as they mean something to people. I have never heard of "Total Freedom" before, so if businesses choose to use that label (appropriately of course!) then they will have to include a desciption of it... which isn't ideal.