A forest free-range farm has opened near Tokoroa, pioneering sustainable egg production in New Zealand.
The 139-hectare property is set to become New Zealand’s leading egg production site as it develops over the next five years to ultimately be the home of 320,000 laying hens free ranging in the forest’s 90,000 native and exotic trees with eight laying sheds. The site will produce eggs under the Heyden Farms Free Range brand for egg producer and supplier Better Eggs Limited.
Better Eggs Chief Executive Gareth van der Heyden said the forest free range farm is an agroforestry venture combining forestry and poultry enterprise. The pine, oak, poplar and eucalyptus trees planted on the property will be milled for timber or pulp when they mature. The growing trees will sequester carbon.
“Better Eggs is a New Zealand family-owned business with strong family values. These values are what have led us to innovate a whole new way of poultry farming in New Zealand that will enable the hens to live in a natural environment from which they originated, while producing eggs in a sustainable manner.
Shed under construction
“They will be able to roam and scratch on the forest floor in the shade, shelter and safety provided by the trees and the laying sheds are specially designed to give the birds natural light and ample space to roam around in. We are providing the birds with the highest animal welfare and hen enrichment standards. We sought advice from Australia and Europe that enables us to exceed best practice in many facets.”
The farm is highly automated, enabling staff on site to spend a greater portion of their time caring for the hens. Eggs are transported from the nesting boxes via conveyor belts to a robot that packs the eggs into trays and pallets which are then collected by trucks for delivery to the existing grading and distribution facility nearby in Lichfield.
Local MP Louise Upston says she is delighted to have such a substantial and innovative business expansion in South Waikato. The forest farm opened with 20,000 hens. When fully developed it will employ around 15 people.
“It is fantastic to see this significant investment in our community which will bring new jobs and opportunities to the South Waikato. With this long term investment the van der Heyden family is demonstrating their commitment to our community,” said Upston.
Tree planting is well underway
Van der Heyden said the land for the forest farm was purchased in early 2018 and the first shed was completed in late 2020. The second shed is scheduled to be completed in 2022 and tree planting for shed three will get underway in September 2021.
Better Eggs is the combination of three family-owned poultry farms, Heyden Farms Limited, Henergy Cage-Free Limited and Rasmusen’s Poultry Farm Limited.
