68 | “All the farms that contract to us to supply eggs practice the same FRENZ Free Range principles behind care of hens in its broadest sense.” FRENZ Where the early birds do catch worms Sue Russell Brown Shaver hens are the breed of choice on FRENZ farms: “They are very hardy, love to be out before light on the range and very even tempered,” says director Rob Darby. PRODUCTION The breed of chook of choice, to produce their purely free-ranged eggs is Brown Shaver, and for good reason, says FRENZ (Director) Rob Darby. “Brown Shavers are very hardy, love to be out before light on the range and very even tempered,” says Rob. “They don’t kick up a fuss about too much and are also very reliable in terms of quality of egg produced because 40% of what they eat comes from the pasture,” Rob explains. FRENZ, prides itself on being New Zealand’s only pure free range commercial egg producer and when asked what separates them out from the many other egg producers who market as free-range, Rob says it comes down to simple but profoundly important distinctions. “All the farms that contract to us to supply eggs practice the same FRENZ Free Range principles behind care of hens in its broadest sense.” This includes the fact that on all the FRENZ 13 farms, comprising 43 flocks, the hens have absolute freedom of choice to roam 24/7. From a very young age during rearing, they are encouraged to head outside and enjoy the spoils of all manner of insect, plantain, sunshine and healthy fresh air. The doors to the true free range modern chook-houses are never closed. As Rob explains, ‘how else can the early bird catch the worm?’ “The term Free Range carries a broad definition of what that practice actually looks like on a farm. Our suppliers all must comply to our standard and expression of what Free Range really is.” Rob says this broad term is of itself a problem for consumers, who see the term and assume that hens are completely free to wander, at their choosing. This, however is not the case. The other point of difference from many other egg producers is the handling and processing of eggs from delivery to FRENZ’ processing plant in Pukekohe to shipment overseas or into our stores here in NZ. “We check every egg using special cameras to ensure quality inside the shell and we thoroughly wash them in a special organic cleaning process which eliminates surface germs and the potential for salmonella on the shell. We do this because it’s the right thing to do for consumer safety in the kitchen and it is also the standard expected of many of our export countries.” FRENZ calls that being ‘kitchen safe’. Rob says there is a huge potential for germs on unclean eggs to be carried from hand to mouth. A particularly nasty bug ‘salmonella enteritis’s’’ which can exist in dust can remain on the surface of the egg along with any other bacteria or listeria that may exist around the one and only hole a chicken has to pass everything through! “It’s a very nasty bug with real health risks for those who consume eggs carrying the bug. admin@lselectrical.co.nz | 09 239 0809 We pay stringent attention to the inspection and cleaning of every egg we sell.” And attaining production and processing standards that allows FRENZ to export substantial quantities of eggs to destinations such as Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong and Japan, has given them a substantial edge in the local competitive market. “Because our eggs have been handled well since being laid we’re able to export eggs by the container full overseas. Maintaining the egg in a chilled environment is pivotal to our ability to maintain freshness even when sent to the other side of the world. Surprisingly an egg processed correctly and maintained at the right temperature can easily remain fresh throughout the sea-voyage to distant markets. This is nothing new as Captain Cook would often bring back eggs from New Zealand in his return voyage. Hens back then would stop laying in winter and so leaving NZ in summer he could take “fresh” eggs back to England on his return 3 months later. “Unfortunately, our local consumers don’t enjoy the same benefits, as supermarkets don’t keep eggs in a chilled environment while they are on the store shelf.” Some of the farms that supply FRENZ are certified organic, something Rob says, is becoming the next desired standard by consumers as it is more regulated. “There’s a strong push toward organic. I think that Covid has made everyone more conscious of their health and what they’re eating and where and how that food has been produced.” And Covid has also impacted on the ‘bottom-line’ for the business with exorbitant increases in the cost of freight, with a threefold increase, in some situations of the cost to transport a container. In other ways, FRENZ is responding to calls for sustainable practice within the sector. The central packing shed is operated using solar power and in a wonderfully clever twist, the waste-product from muscles contaminating Hauraki Gulf are now supplied to FRENZ who crush the product down and provide it as nourishment for the hens. FRENZ supplies three grades of eggs to market. Free Range, Non GMO and BioGro Organic Certified. On all the supplier farms, the maximum flock size ever is 2,000 hens.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=