Kangaroo Island free-range eggs farm can't keep up with demand BY LISTEN listening carefully to consumers, Tom and Fiona Fryar have built a thriving free range egg farm of 50,000 hens on Kangaroo Island. The hens roam across 1600ha at a rate of 750 a hectare and produce 12,000 dozen eggs a week as the Fryars endeavour to meet soaring demand for their free range eggs. The enterprise has grown from just 400 hens on 40ha in 1992. In one of the cleanest and most pristine places to produce eggs in the world, consumer demand for their free range product is such that they could sell many times more eggs in Australia and overseas. A Hong Kong buyer has requested 24,000 dozen eggs a week, while buyers in Melbourne and Perth have asked for 6000 dozen eggs a week. Mr Fryar said they were forced to tell the HK buyer that they couldn't supply him at the moment because of the growing demand from the SA market. "We don't really need to get into exporting at this stage because we are flat-out trying to supply the SA market and Sydney and Melbourne are growing hugely," he said. We have had so many requests that like other true free range farmers, we just can't keep up with consumer demand. KI Free Range Eggs has just been named among the 20 most popular food brands in South Australia by Food SA based on consumer voting, while it has also been named among the top 10 ethically farmed free range egg producers in Australia in a Yahoo/lifestyle survey. "We got on a train we can't stop, it's quite amazing really, remembering we don't do any marketing and the demand just flows in," Mr Fryar said. I'm so chuffed that the supporters of SA products are supporting us, it is unbelievable. We have huge potential to grow and the lesson is to give consumers what they expect. Mr Fryar said consumers are really doing their homework on food and the people who produce it. "Ten to 15 years ago people just bought anything, but now they really know what's going on and they are quite happy to pay extra money for truth in labelling," he said. Food SA is also helping boost consumer demand for SA food and it is really working, it is a wonderful thing they are doing. Consumers are increasing their demand for South Australian grown foods. The Fryars Kangaroo Island Free Range Eggs sell through 100 different outlets across the state including strong supporter Drakes supermarkets, IGA supermarkets, various butcher shops, gourmet shops, fruit and vegetable shops and restaurants. The farm, between Kingscote and American River, is one of the success stories of the island and among the largest free-range egg producers in SA and Australia. Mr Fryar said the strong consumer support is due to its humane stocking rate of 750 hens a hectare, half that of the poultry industry's code of practice of 1500 hens a ha. The hens have plenty of room to wander from paddock to paddock, but they return to their own shed to roost at night and to lay their eggs, but remarkably they are never locked-up. The way we farm is the hardest possible way and because consumers expect that standard. we don't confine them at all," he said. We have 22 maremma guardian dogs which do a wonderful job keeping the cats out and the eagles away. Mr Fryar said while major commercial operators want to push the stocking rate up to 10,000 hens a ha and even 20,000 hens per ha, a 1200pc increase, it is not sustainable. "The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has refused that so now it is back to the drawing board and there is a big push for 10,000 hens a ha," he said. If we went to 10,000 birds a ha there would be a hell of a mess, it would be unsustainable and not what consumers class as free range. The Fryars employ 22 people including sons Thomas and Jason who take a leading roll in managing and planning the expanding enterprise. The painstaking task of building the business one step at a time has led to a careful and patient approach where the Fryar family builds the chicken sheds and grows the grain for the self-sufficient, value-adding business. Mr Fryar said they have built another two sheds since Deputy Premier John Rau announced a limit of 1500 hens a ha for SA farms because demand has increased incredibly. "That will add 2000 birds and we will build another shed in the next few months as the demand continues to grow," he said.