British egg producers have invested £400m on phasing out barren battery cages
The South West Green Party has called for the ConDem government to support British egg farmers and stop condoning the importation of illegal battery cage eggs into the UK
British egg producers have invested £400m on phasing out barren battery cages to meet the requirements of EU legislation which came into force on January 1, 2012.
However, 13 other EU member states have failed to get some 50m hen houses in order.
Yet the Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has said it does not plan to check imported egg products or products containing eggs. Instead the UK will be relying on a voluntary food industry ban to keep illegally produced eggs out of the country.
Emma Pruen, who sits on the National Executive of the Green Party and lives on a farm in Somerset, said: “It’s outrageous that the EU ban on the sale of eggs from barren battery cages isn’t being enforced, and that the UK Government has chosen to turn a blind eye to processed egg imports from non-compliant countries.
“There is already a legal requirement for proper supporting documentation of all egg and egg related products entering the UK, they just need to ask to see it. We also have a standard traceability procedure operating here and across Europe, so it is there is no reason whatsoever for the Government not to do the decent thing.”
The British Egg Industry Council says: “We’re asking the government to conduct proper checks of imported eggs, egg products and products containing eggs entering UK ports, egg packing stations, processing plants, importers and wholesalers. Otherwise, UK consumers could be eating eggs from illegal battery hens and British egg producers will be seriously undermined, with the possible loss of thousands of jobs.”
The Green Party would like to see the egg industry switch to entirely free-range systems, but welcomes introduction of the new ‘enriched’ cages as an improvement on barren battery cages. The majority of British people think shops should stop selling cage eggs, or products containing them, even if it meant prices may go up, found the RSPCA in recent research.
Although as a nation we have all been buying more cage-free eggs, the majority of eggs we eat are hidden in foods such as cakes, quiche and mayonnaise, which do not have to be labelled.
(from a press release)
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