Ex-worker's statements - Josh's Rainbow Eggs (Summer & Winter)

Statement - Summer

The following statement was provided to Farm Transparency Project by an Ex-worker at Josh's Rainbow Eggs. This worker chose not publicly share their name or identifying details. We will refer to them as Summer. 

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to share my personal experiences during my employment at the farm "Josh's Rainbow Eggs." During my time there, I witnessed conditions that, in my view, clearly violate animal welfare standards and are wholly inconsistent with the farm's marketing as "ethical free range."

Although the eggs are sold under a "free range" label, the hens spend most of their lives inside overcrowded sheds. While the doors to the sheds are technically open, only very few birds ever go outside; the majority remain indoors under poor conditions. Deaths among the flock occurred almost daily, and the way the birds were handled was extremely disrespectful. On several occasions I personally witnessed the manager kicking or shoving hens out of her way in order to work faster. Even more concerning was a statement made by this manager, who admitted that the farm practiced "forced molting," a procedure that is illegal in Australia. A colleague of mine received the same information from her. Shortly after these revelations, workers were suddenly prohibited from entering the sheds, with an unconvincing explanation, which appeared to be a deliberate attempt to prevent further observations.

Photos taken by a former worker at Josh's Rainbow Eggs

The working environment also revealed a troubling attitude on the part of management. Fridays were designated as "Cleaning Day," when staff were required to dismantle and scrub the machines thoroughly. However, after hours of cleaning, the owner's son, Josh, would deliberately blow dirt back onto the equipment with an air compressor, forcing us to start over from the beginning. We were also required to scrub the entire shed floor with toothbrushes - an unreasonable and demeaning task clearly designed to exert pressure and assert control.

In addition, the entire workplace was under constant CCTV surveillance. We were frequently confronted about our speed and efficiency, with remarks such as asking whether we were unwell or "having a bad day" if we failed to meet their expectations. New workers were often invited in for one- or two-day "trials," not as genuine opportunities for employment, but rather as a way to cover short-term staffing gaps without any intention of hiring them.

Taken together, these experiences paint the picture of a farm that publicly promotes itself as "ethical free range," while in reality keeping animals in conditions that are far
from ethical, and treating workers in a deeply unfair and exploitative manner. From what I witnessed, the marketing of these eggs is misleading to consumers, and the welfare of the animals is severely compromised.

I strongly believe this farm should be investigated, both for potential breaches of animal welfare laws and for the accuracy of its consumer labeling.

Sincerely,

a former worker at Josh's Rainbow Eggs, Mongeeta Victoria.

Statement - Winter

The following statement was provided to Farm Transparency Project by an Ex-worker at Josh's Rainbow Eggs. This worker chose not publicly share their name or identifying details. We will refer to them as Winter. 

I am a former worker at Josh's Rainbow Eggs (JRE). During my time there, I found out through an accidental (and quickly revoked) admission, that they were secretly subjecting their hens to 'forced malts', a practice involving partially or completely reducing hens' food and water intake for consecutive days or weeks so that they lose all their feathers, and drop a significant proportion of their body weight, to 're-invigorate' egg-laying. It's an incredibly painful and stressful process for hens to endure, and unsurprisingly JRE attempted to keep the 'malts' a secret from their casual employees by inventing false reasons as to why we were prohibited from entering certain flock sheds at certain times. 

Additionally, I found JRE to be an incredibly exploitive place to work; it's shocking staff turnover rate just one symptom of the fact that they treat their employees as expendable. My coworkers and I were treated more like machines than human beings. We performed prolonged, fast-paced labour under the threat that if we didn't work fast enough, we could be let go; we would work frantically, skipping bathroom and water breaks, pushing though injuries, dehydration, emotional and physical exhaustion, all to try and meet rigid deadlines and constant arbitrary changes to process. Management created a culture of fear and surveillance, and made it very clear that we were valued or not according to our 'numbers' (rigorously collated data on how fast we worked). My experience as a worker completely shattered my previously-held impression of JRE as an 'ethical' business.