A meeting has been held to try and resolve the huge outcry over proposed new standards for egg producers laid out by the RSPCA last week. A furious reaction from egg industry representatives greeted the announcement from RSPCA Assured, setting out plans to make verandas mandatory for barn egg producers, and windows mandatory for all producers.
This Monday, representatives from the producers, packers and the UK trade associations met with representatives from the RSPCA and RSPCA Assured both online and in-person at a meeting chaired by Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), held at the BEIC offices.
The BEIC outlined the significant strength of feeling felt across the sector toward the new standards as well as concerns around the impact that this would have on producers and the viability of the sector. Specifically, the trade body talked about the significant cost of installing windows and the impact on managing the birds as well as the cost and practicalities around the provision of verandas. In addition, the organisation asked for the science and evidence that underpinned these two standards.
It was agreed that the RSPCA and RSPCA Assured would discuss these concerns internally and respond to the industry in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson for RSPCA Assured said the organisation was “in talks about next steps”.