Moorland Cottage: ‘Chook cafe’ banned from having free range chickens in dining area
A regional council has run afoul of an adored “chook cafe” after banning free ranging chickens from accessing dining areas. Here is what happened.
Coffs Harbour
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A Mid Coast council has run afoul of an award-winning cafe near Old Bar after it banned free ranging chickens from the dining garden.
Moorland Cottage Cafe owner Christina Jones said her customers were “incredibly upset with recent changes” council has forced the cafe to make.
“We won the 2023 NSW Business Awards for Outstanding Visitor Experience – Mid Coast, because we are not like any other cafe on the Mid North Coast,” Ms Jones said.
The cottage style cafe, which includes free range show-winning chickens in their designated outdoor dining garden, has been running for nearly three years with multiple visits from council’s food safety health inspectors.
Yet despite council having no issues with the quirky outfit, one bad egg recently ruffled feathers claiming cutlery at the cafe was dirty and made them “violently ill”.
While insisting chickens have no place in a food establishment, the complainant demanded the birds be locked up away from customers.
“Early on we discussed the chickens (with council) and were advised that as long as we kept the place clean and the chickens weren’t all over the tables they were happy for us to have free ranging chickens,” Ms Jones said.
Council health inspectors attended the site after the complaint in December and deemed it “unjustified” because the birds were kept in a cordoned off area away from all food preparation and kitchen zones.
Yet in March council backflipped and enforced service restrictions on the cafe sighting legislation forbidding the inclusion of chickens.
“Council rang me and said under the ‘code’ you’re not allowed to have any animals in any dining areas,” Ms Jones said.
A council spokesman said all councils in NSW had a legislated role to enforce the Food Standards Code.
“In this instance, Mid Coast Council is meeting those legislative requirements,” he said.
When Ms Jones asked the council why Australian legislation wasn’t being applied to businesses that offer dining experiences with animals such as Billabong Zoo, Reptile Park, Walkabout Park, or Amazement, the spokesman said “it wasn’t in our council area”.
“All food businesses in Australia and New Zealand must comply with food standards. These standards are compiled in the Australia – New Zealand Food Standards Code which is legislated in NSW under state legislation – the Food Act 2003 (not by local Councils),” he said.
The Australian Food Authority were contacted, saying they “didn’t understand why” council made their decision.
A spokesman said issues of this nature are usually fine until a complaint is made.
Now the cafe must adhere to the rules by removing table service from their free ranging chicken garden and erecting signage to explain new rules to their customers.
“We are still offering table service in our courtyard and tea room,” Ms Jones said.
“We have been forced to offer takeaway in the garden if we want to continue allowing customers to have the ‘chicken experience’ they come here for.”
She said without her two sons Declan, 16, and Jazz, 14, she would be “lost” even with the outpouring of community support.
“A range of people come to our cafe to sit and enjoy watching the free ranging chickens in our garden, to the point we are often referred to as the ‘chook cafe’,” Ms Jones said.
“We just want things to go back to the way it was. Our elderly customers want to eat with the chickens using proper plates and cutlery.”
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