As the home of Australia’s first ever carbon-neutral eggs, our focus on running a sustainable and environmentally-friendly agricultural business has been evident since day one. But since the meaning of sustainability differs slightly between industries, you may well be wondering what exactly makes an egg sustainable? With that in mind, we’ve put together a handy guide to sustainable farming, and how we’ve approached sustainability with our eggs.
So what does it take to be sustainable?
Sustainable farming means farming in a way that meets today’s needs without compromising the needs of tomorrow – in other words, it’s a type of farming that cares for the land and the animals that live on it. Here at Yallamundi Farm, we’re genuinely committed to operating as sustainably as possible in everything we do. From the spacious rotating sheds our hens live in, to the packaging we use to get our eggs to your table, we prioritise the wellbeing of our animals, the land and the legacy we leave behind.
Animal welfare and ethical practices
Part of acting sustainably means taking the welfare of our animals seriously. That’s why we have animal welfare experts on-hand 24/7 at the farm to ensure our animals are receiving the very best in care and nutrition.
Our pasture-raised and organic hens have regular access to new pasture, thanks to our groundbreaking, solar-powered mobile sheds that can be moved around the paddock. By regularly rotating the sheds, we ensure our birds have access to new land on which they’re free to roam, play and dust bake – as free as nature intended.
As a result of these animal welfare-focused methods, paired with strategies such as avoiding chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, feeding an organic diet, and keeping only 750 hens per hectare, we’ve proudly received organic certification from Australian Organics for our Yallamundi Farm organic eggs.
Minimising our environmental footprint
Monitoring our environmental impact is front and centre of everything we do on the farm. As mentioned, our egg production process was developed with the environment in mind, and our eggs have proudly received carbon-neutral certification by Climate Active. This milestone was reached by minimising our environmental footprint through reducing carbon emissions, water use and energy consumption on the farm, amongst other steps we took to tread gently on the earth:
- Extensive solar installation to power the climate control systems for our hens, as well as our cool room and farm office
- Storing back-up energy from over 850 solar panels that power our mobile hen sheds, in leading battery storage technology
- Using mobile sheds so we can regularly move our hens to fresh pasture and new surroundings, which also enables the land to constantly regenerate
- Restoring native forests on our land
- Reusing our hens’ nutrient-rich manure to grow crops.
The environmentally-friendly theme continues right through to the end-product, with our eggs packaged and sold in 100% recyclable and compostable cartons, and we’re also committed to supporting small Australian businesses. We use local suppliers wherever possible, which helps to bolster the local regional economy and further reduces the carbon emissions associated with our products.
Supporting biodiversity across our land
The biodiversity on our farm is something we’re incredibly proud of – we’re passionate about nurturing a healthy ecosystem and maintaining our beautiful biodiversity corridor. We’re actively committed to the ongoing planting of native trees and shrubs to increase the Australian flora – and consequently fauna – on our property, which also helps to increase carbon sequestration. We enjoy the benefits of this every day here on the farm as we get visits from an array of Australian wildlife, from koalas and kangaroos to galahs and goannas.
Taste the difference in our sustainable eggs
Here at Yallamundi Farm, we’re passionate about educating consumers on the importance of sustainability in the agriculture industry. We love what we do, and hope you feel a sense of pride for making a sustainable choice when you buy a carton of our eggs. We believe our focus on animal welfare, minimising our carbon footprint, sourcing locally and supporting biodiversity all shine through in our final product – our delicious pasture-raised and organic eggs.