The government decision to extend tariff liberalisation on eggs and poultry until 31 March 2028 has been condemned by the egg industry.
This week the minister for trade, Chris Bryant, announced the extension as “much-needed support to Ukraine and its businesses”.
The tariff-free deal has been long criticised by the egg industry. Imports of shell eggs produced to a lower standard from Ukraine have soared from 40 tonnes in the year to September 2024 to 11,000 tonnes the following year.
It comes as the government has sought to increase production standards in the UK, kicking off a consultation to phase out cage eggs by 2032.
The industry has accused the government of duplicity, of undermining British egg producers, and misleading the public.
“The actions of this government show that it simply doesn’t care about British consumers or British farmers,” said British Egg Industry Council chief executive Nick Allen. ”This policy is deeply flawed and lacks proper consideration of its consequences.
“The UK government has effectively created an open door for the dumping of battery eggs produced to standards far below those required of British eggs and illegal to be produced in the UK,” he added.
Allen said that the policy “exposes unsuspecting consumers to unnecessary risk and unfairly undermines domestic producers who meet significantly higher welfare and safety standards.
“The British government should be ashamed of its betrayal of both British egg producers and consumers,” added Allen.
Read more: Cage egg ban raises ‘serious concerns’ for egg industry
His concerns were echoed by the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, which said it had hoped for the introduction of a quota, at the very least, to provide some protection.
Although it acknowledged safeguards within the agreement, it believes they cannot be activated quickly enough to help egg farmers, who cannot compete with “the huge Ukrainian businesses operating at lower standards of production”.
BFREPA chairman and Scottish free-range egg farmer James Baxter said there was a feeling of “deep unfairness” among producers and asserted support for Ukraine should come from general taxation.
“Extending the existing trade deal is an easy option but this not only undermines UK egg farmers but also contradicts the government’s own recently published welfare strategy around high animal welfare standards and its assurances that these would be protected in future trade deals,” Baxter said.
The NFU has said that the government must be prepared to act if “imports continue to increase it puts greater pressure on British producers”.
“We need the UK government to do what it said it would do to ensure British farming can compete on a level playing field and ensure that Ukrainian poultry imports meet our domestic animal welfare standards,” said NFU poultry board chair, Will Raw. ”Without this, we risk not only displacing British production through unsustainable volumes of imports, but with products that have been produced in ways that are illegal here.”
Bryant said that the government would continue to “monitor trade flows and market conditions throughout the period of liberalisation and maintain regular engagement with the UK poultry and egg sectors”.
Read more: Are latest policy changes enough to placate farmers?
The policy also applies to poultry imports, which have similarly increased since the free tariff agreement came into force.
British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths said rising imports from Ukraine were concerning at a time when his industry was under significant pressure.
Imports from the country have more than doubled from 23,900 tonnes in the 12 months to September 2024 to 46,600 tonnes in the following year.
“Producers are facing ongoing planning barriers and higher production costs following a reduction in stocking density to strengthen our welfare standards – the biggest move in a generation,” Griffiths said. “The UK poultrymeat sector plays a vital role in delivering safe and affordable food and supporting our food security.
“It is therefore crucial that imports continue to be closely monitored so they do not undermine UK producers.”
“We have agreed to extend tariff liberalisation on certain products as part of our ongoing support to Ukraine in the country’s hour of need,” the government said. “Imports of eggs and poultry from Ukraine make up a small proportion of our total imports, and we will continue to work with farmers to monitor its impact.”
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