MPs’ warning of European failure over battery ban

There are now less than four months to go before a European wide ban on hens being kept in battery cages comes into being. Yet despite the long lead-in time to the ban – with the move to welfare housing for hens being passed in 1999 by the European Union – there are still major worries that much of mainland Europe has not used the intervening period to convert its egg-laying industry.

Yesterday a report by the environment, food and rural affairs select committee in Westminster warned that, on information they had received, around one third of Europe’s egg production would not comply with the new welfare standards when the legislation comes into force on 1 January.

Meanwhile, in the past decade the UK poultry industry has invested more than £400 million in an unsubsidised sector of agriculture in converting to free-range egg production or to “enriched” cages which have perches and nesting boxes.

The committee agreed with the view put to it by the NFU of England and Wales that UK producers would be at a competitive disadvantage if eggs from non-compliant producers in Europe were allowed to be imported.

Consequentially, the report calls for the UK government to press for a trade ban on the export of non-compliant eggs and egg products.

The chairman, Anne McIntosh MP, said the committee also recommended that the EU Food and Veterinary Office be strengthened to ensure member states had robust inspection regimes to ensure compliance with the directive.

The committee was also critical of the EU for not monitoring progress towards the changeover deadline by requiring member states to provide data on their state of preparedness.

The only Scottish MP on the committee, Thomas Docherty, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, said the UK government had to take action to protect UK egg producers who had invested in new hen housing.

“The UK government must now take action to protect consumers and the egg industry from the damaging effects of member states not complying with this legislation,” he said.

“Consumers have a right to know that, whatever they purchase, whether eggs, cakes or quiches, they are not purchasing illegal and unethical products.”

The Scottish Government also weighed in on the issue, saying the UK government should take on Europe to ensure fairness. Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said it would be nonsensical if egg producers across Europe were allowed to flout these rules when Scottish producers had invested heavily in order to meet the new animal welfare restrictions.

Scottish egg production was last year estimated to have been worth £42m with two large scale producers dominating the market.