Producers will no longer need to change how eggs are labelled during a bird flu outbreak, under new proposals from Defra.
Currently, when mandatory housing orders are introduced, eggs from free-range birds may continue to be labelled as “free-range” for 16 weeks and then must be labelled as barn eggs.
The proposals for England and Scotland announced today, which are subject to an eight-week consultation, will amend the regulations to remove the “derogation” period. This would mean that free-range eggs can stay labelled as such throughout mandatory housing measures.
The proposals aim to cut unnecessary red tape and costs for British producers while also strengthening supply chains and helping deliver the government’s commitment to continue to produce at least 60% of the food eaten in the UK.
In both 2021/22 and 2022/23, the 16-week derogation period was exceeded, which led to significant costs for industry as egg packaging had to be changed to comply with legislation.
“We understand the pressures bird flu outbreaks place on our poultry and egg producers, which is why we continue to prioritise ways to support the industry during outbreaks of this disease,” said farming minister Mark Spencer.
These proposed changes have been supported by the egg industry, which described them as “essential”.
“BEIC has been calling for an amendment to the egg marketing legislation to ensure that our free-range egg farmers can remain competitive and continue to provide British consumers with free-range eggs,” said British Egg Industry Council CEO Gary Ford. “This has become increasingly important due to the unprecedented levels of avian influenza in recent years.”
This support was echoed by British Free Range Egg Producers Association CEO Robert Gooch, who said he was “delighted that producers should be able to protect their hens from risk” without having to relabel their eggs.
“It would also align the free-range egg marketing rules with the European Union, which is important as it means that British producers will be on a level playing field with European farmers,” he added.
The consultation launched today will run for eight weeks, until 5 March.
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