Josh's Rainbow Eggs

Thursday 2 Apr 2026 by Harley McDonald-Eckersall (editorial)

In December 2025, we released damning allegations from two ex-workers at Josh's Rainbow Eggs (JRE) claiming that, during their employment on the farm, they experienced demeaning conditions - including being forced to clean floors with toothbrushes - and witnessed severe animal cruelty. At the same time, we published footage received from anonymous investigators, who had documented filthy conditions, and sick and dead hens, inside Josh's sheds. Footage and photos provided to Farm Transparency Project also showed that over 100 birds had died in a single shed in just a few weeks.  Following our publication of these statements and footage, Josh's... Read more >

Tuesday 31 Mar 2026 by Farm Transparency Project (FTP) (editorial)

In late 2025, Farm Transparency Project put a call-out to anyone who had participated in Josh's Rainbow Eggs 'rehoming' program for spent hens. We were contacted by someone who had bought 200 ex layer hens from the farms over 5 years ago. This is the statement that was provided to FTP.  I'd like to share my experience with 'spent hens' I purchased from Josh's Rainbow Eggs. This is going back more than 5 years; however it contributed to the closing of my business. I would prefer to remain anonymous due to concerns for my safety going up against a company like Josh's Rainbow... Read more >

Sunday 1 Feb 2026 by Harley McDonald-Eckersall (editorial)

Free-range, cage-free - we went behind the labels to expose the real cost of 'ethical' eggs.  A sick hen at South Gippsland Eggs (Farm Transparency Project, 2025) Roughly 55% of the 19 million Australian egg-laying hens are raised in cage systems, where birds are kept behind bars for their entire lives. On cage farms, hens can be allowed as little as 550cm2 of space, roughly the size of an A4 piece of paper. The other 45% of egg-laying hens are raised in cage-free systems, a loose umbrella term that covers both certified free-range production systems, as well as 'barn-laid' egg farms where hens... Read more >

Tuesday 9 Dec 2025 by Peter Hunt (The Weekly Times)

Australia’s egg industry has refused to respond to disturbing footage showing dead and dying hens at Victorian free-range farms, with members told to stay silent. Read more >

Saturday 6 Dec 2025 by Farm Transparency Project (FTP) (editorial)

This year we uncovered that Victorian free-range egg producer Josh's Rainbow Eggs had been deceiving the public with their 'ethical' labelling. After receiving testimony from ex-workers and footage from their farms showing sick and dead hens, we contacted Josh's Rainbow Eggs, asking them to remove the word 'ethical' from their website, packaging and signage. We also cast doubt on their claim that they rehome all their ex-laying hens, which was proudly displayed on their website up until the day before we published our investigation.  After we published our investigation, Josh's removed all uses of the word 'ethical' from their... Read more >

Wednesday 3 Dec 2025 by Harley McDonald-Eckersall (editorial)

If you'd asked me at the start of the year to tell you about Josh's Rainbow Eggs, you likely would have been met with a blank stare. After quitting eggs (and all animal products) in 2016, the meteoric rise of young Josh and his 'ethical eggs' had escaped my attention, even as they became staples on supermarket shelves. So when I sat down at my desk earlier in the year, the last thing I expected was to see the farm's name in the subject line of an email.  Josh's Rainbow Eggs started in 2009 when nine-year old Josh started selling... Read more >

Tuesday 2 Dec 2025 by Catriona (editorial)

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... Read more >