Tory MEP probes superstore labelling of egg products
Posted, January 03, 2012 @ 12:00
Conservative MEP Vicky Ford has written to the major supermarket chains asking how they plan to respond to new regulations which outlaw eggs from old-fashioned battery cages.
New EU rules came into force on January 1 which effectively make battery eggs illegal. Yet while British farmers have complied fully by replacing battery cages with high-welfare pens or free-range regimes, thousands of farms across Europe - particularly in Mediterranean and former eastern bloc countries - have not.
As a result is is estimated 83 million "illegal" eggs will be laid every day across the EU.
Recent talks in Brussels about how to tackle non-compliance have resulted in the proposal to ban the sale of all illegal shell eggs outside the country of origin. However, this proposal does not cover the use of illegal eggs in other products, such as mayonnaise, cakes, pastry and biscuits.
Mrs Ford, Conservative MEP for the East of England, fears those products could very well find their way onto British supermarket shelves. She has written to all the food retail chains asking what their policy will be on egg products and seeking assurances that goods will be adequately labelled so shoppers will know which welfare rules their food was produced under.
Conservative MEPs have been at the forefront of pressuring the EU Commission to enforce the new rules fairly across the board.
Mrs Ford said: "Farmers and member states have known that these new regulations were on the way for 10 years, so the nations which will fail to comply cannot say they have had too little time.
"British famers have invested more than £400 million in new equipment and facilities to comply with the new directive. Now they face being undercut by foreign farmers who haven't lifted a finger to change and who are still operating battery farms keeping chickens in appalling conditions.
"That is why I am asking the supermarkets to make their position clear and make a commitment to full and clear labelling about where their egg products are sourced. I shall be sharing the responses I get with consumers to help those who care about welfare and our farming industry decide where they shop and what they eat.
"There is nothing more simple than a chicken laying an egg – the poor chicken has no idea it is falling foul of EU law. We need to look closely at what will happen to these illegal eggs. It's time to stop playing chicken with the EU and people who want to help should be able to act by choosing what they put in their shopping trolleys."