Trust in egg industry continues to grow: report

Every year since 2018, the egg industry has partnered with CSIRO and for the third year in a row, the main driver of trust in the egg industry was its responsiveness to community concerns.

Trust in the industry across all measures rose an average of four per cent each year from the baseline 2018 national survey, with more than six in 10 Australians in 2020 saying that they trust the egg industry to act responsibly (64.2pc) and do what is right (62.8pc).

CSIRO senior research scientist Kiern Moffat said the most recent round of data was significant because it showed the egg industry was continuing to improve year-on-year.

"In 2020, the key finding from our work was that trust and acceptance in the Australian egg industry improved significantly once again, making that a consistent and statistically significant trend over time," Dr Moffat said.

Responsiveness ratings of the industry rose again, this time to a greater degree than previous years, with 69pc agreeing the egg industry is prepared to change its practices in response to community concerns, up from 64.4 per cent in 2019 and 61.4 per cent in 2018.

In 2020, 69.2pc also agreed the industry listens to and respects community opinions, up from 62.7pc in 2019 and 61.5pc in 2018.

Australian Eggs managing director Rowan McMonnies said the trust levels recorded this year (3.72) were relatively high compared to other Australian rural industries (3.42).

"It's great to see that the egg industry's responsiveness to community priorities is valued by Australians and is improving trust ratings over time," Mr McMonnies said.

"The CSIRO has delivered a recipe for success and the industry has responded with tangible solutions that reflect priorities identified by the community. Having trust to increase again this year will add momentum to this process."

Data collection occurred between April and May, and offered an opportunity to document the impacts of the pandemic on community attitudes towards the egg industry.

According to the research, three in four Australians said the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more aware of the importance of food security in Australia, with four in five agreeing that producing eggs for Australia is an essential service, and that "having a safe, reliable supply of eggs is comforting" during the pandemic (80.5pc).

"It's clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased community awareness of the importance of food safety and security in Australia," Dr Moffat said.

"But what we can also see is that on key measures like community trust, the 2020 data continues a positive trend for the egg industry independent of the effects of the pandemic."

The research found that Australians felt egg production standards remain high in the country, with 86 per cent of agreeing that eggs produced adhere to strict food safety standards and 84 per cent agreeing the response of the egg industry to outbreaks of Salmonella were effective in protecting public health.

"The Australian egg industry is extremely proactive in working with authorities to ensure that there are strong food safety and biosecurity measures in place," Mr McMonnies said.

"It's good to see that Australians recognise the efforts of the egg industry to prioritise their safety."