Following in the footsteps of the cage-free initiatives at universities such as Newcastle and Auckland, it seems that the cage-free egg movement has also rubbed off on some of Australia’s government agencies with the ACT government recently making a commitment to go cage-free.

By May 2009 all ACT government agencies including hospitals, correctional facilities, CIT campuses and schools will be committed to using barn laid or free range eggs.

Chief Minister and Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change Jon Stanhope, said ‘the ACT government is committed to animal welfare by doing all it can to phase out the use of battery eggs in the ACT’.

This is certainly a step in the right direction and will, hopefully, be picked up by businesses, universities and government agencies alike.

Follow this link to a media release by the ACT government on the issue.