By Mark Williams, chairman, British Egg Industry Council
The BEIC, and other representative organisations, continue to make progress on the areas of concern raised by industry regarding RSCPA Assured’s amended standards for laying hens, which has involved many hours of meetings. To date, 9 of the 13 standards regarded as problematic have been addressed. Progress continues on the other four, in particular the requirement to provide 3% natural daylight (via pop-holes).
The reality remains that the scientific evidence on which several of the standards have been developed is somewhat lacking. The BEIC’s position is that the requirement to provide 3% natural daylight is unnecessary. The Laying Hen Welfare Forum has drafted a research proposal to establish whether there is any science-based welfare benefit to providing 1%, 2% or 3% natural daylight.
The BEIC has also warned the UK Government of the devasting impact that the changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Inheritance Tax – what has been referred to as the ‘farm tax’ – will have on the egg sector and the wider rural economy. According to the CBI these changes could reduce economic activity by £9.4bn and see the Treasury lose out on £1.3billion by 2030. The BEIC calls on the Prime Minister to reconsider the current direction of travel the Government is taking on this issue.
We have also seen renewed calls for a ban on cage production in the media. The BEIC does not believe that a ban on cage production is either warranted or in the interests of bird welfare. Conventional ‘battery’ cages were banned in the UK/EU in 2012 and were replaced with enriched cages, which have more space and height, a nesting area, litter for scratching and perches for the hens to sleep on.
There were double standards demonstrated by the previous government, which on the one hand wanted to continue to raise hen welfare standards in the UK, whilst at the same time allowing (through free trade agreements) the import of eggs and egg products from countries that continue to use systems of production that are banned in the UK. We will be watching the current government to ensure that British farmers and consumers are not betrayed. UK retailers announced that they wish to move to a ‘cage-free’ egg supply in 2025, however, there will remain the price-sensitive food service and processing sectors that are largely supplied by eggs produced in enriched colony cages. Should the UK Government wish to legislate to ban enriched cage, it would have to ban imports, otherwise this would have a seriously damaging effect on the competitiveness of the UK egg industry.