Paice hints at UK ban on sale of imported battery cage eggs

UK FARMING minister Jim Paice yesterday revealed the UK government was considering a ban on imports of eggs produced in battery cages from next year.

There is now less than three months to go before EU legislation comes into force that will prevent the sale of eggs produced in battery cages but it is estimated that almost one-third of current EU production is still from battery caged hens.

Already a number of member states, including Belgium and Poland, have called for a derogation from the legislation to allow more time to comply.

UK producers had invested millions of pounds ensuring they would comply with the new higher welfare standards and now fear they will be undercut by the importation of eggs from battery caged hens

Paice said the best solution would be a ban on countries selling outside their borders any eggs produced by conventional batteries.

“But we are not complacent and while I don’t want to give away state secrets, I can assure you that we are working very hard to look for our own solutions if indeed the European Commission has not come up with answers by 31 December,” he said.

Alyn Smith MEP has lodged a European Parliament written declaration on the same issue which calls for “swift and effective” proceedings linked with “heavy and dissuasive” fines for any lack of compliance on the new law.