Keysborough Egg and Chicken Shop manager David Schaunich says drought is pushing local produce prices up.By Shaun Inguanzo
A KEYSBOROUGH egg farm is the latest victim of drought in Australia.
There may not be images of farmers on parched land in rural Victoria, but at the Keysborough Egg and Chicken Shop the drought is still a reality.
The 16-hectare (40-acre) site was established by Italian migrant George Schaunich and represents more than 30 years of toil by his family.
His son, David Schaunich, manages the business and this week told Star that in the past three months the price of chicken feed had doubled, pushing the business’ egg and poultry prices up.
With more than 45,000 egg-laying chickens to feed, Mr Schaunich said the shop was indeed feeling the chicken feed price pinch.
“We are now in a position in Australia where there is not enough chicken feed,” he said.
“We are importing chicken feed when normally Australia exports it.”
Mr Schaunich said the drought would touch everyone, even though farmers were the worst hit.
“The price of food will rise,” he said.
“People are going to have to pay more for bread, milk, eggs and anything where livestock or produce are involved.”
Mr Schaunich, whose farm has a popular shopfront on Perry Road, Keysborough South, said retailers were in an awkward position to price food.
“Shopkeepers are in between a rock and a hard place because they are the ones who will have to raise prices in front of people because their supply prices are going up,” he said.
But despite the drought, Mr Schaunich is one businessman who believes the hard times come and go in cycles.
“We will just do what we do to the best of our ability,” he said. “You have to be practical and live day to day with what you have got, and not get caught up in the emotion of it all.”
That includes the criticisms to which the poultry industry is subject, particularly caged bird farms like Mr Schaunich’s.
The 45,000 birds at the Schaunich property are housed in sheds where they produce more than 30,000 eggs per day to supply supermarkets, local grocers and restaurants.
Mr Schaunich said caged bird farms had gained unfair reputations from animal liberationists as opposed to free-range farms.
“Some say it is cruel but our birds live comfortably and have the best of everything,” he said. “There are few fatalities compared to barn or free-range chickens.
“People don’t realise there is a lot more disease in free-range farms. The chickens are given more vaccinations and antibiotics.
“If anything, free-range chickens require more treatment than anything else.”
Mr Schaunich said the farm was clean, well-maintained and had the second-largest grading floor in Victoria.
