The government is implementing a huge change to the way eggs can be legally labeled and sold in shops such as supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons or Aldi and Lidl.
Buyers of the conscientious persuasion, in particular, may be bothered by changing the packaging of the egg carton, which hides when the “free range” laying hens are actually kept in barns.
Today, the government announced a change to the law on the labeling of eggs by egg producers and packers. When the new law goes into effect later this year, egg producers will no longer have to change packaging to reflect when free-range hens are placed on “chicken lock-up” in barns during avian flu outbreaks.
When an avian flu epidemic breaks out, even free-range chickens are brought into barns and cages to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
The government announced: “At the moment, when mandatory housing measures are introduced to protect birds from the spread of disease, eggs from free-range birds can only be continued for 16 weeks after the breeding order comes into force. effect – a “grace period” under the regulations on the marketing of eggs. After this period, these eggs must then be marked as barn eggs.”
But the 16-week period is being scrapped after the government said this limit was exceeded twice, by a total of 13 weeks in 2021-22 and 2022-23, “resulting in significant costs to the industry” because all labels and packaging had to be changed after chickens has been kept inside for more than 16 weeks.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Changes to existing legislation, to be introduced by statutory instrument later this year, mean that free-range eggs can continue to be labeled as such during mandatory rearing procedures.
“The move will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and costs for British producers, while strengthening the supply chain and maintaining consumer confidence.”
It means buyers of conscientious persuasion cannot know when a chicken is kept in a cage despite “free range” labels, even though the measure is in the chicken’s own interest to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: “We understand the pressures on the egg industry and the crippling impact of bird flu outbreaks on their businesses. Eliminating the need to change labels on eggs and packaging helps keep costs down and remain competitive.
“This government will restore stability and confidence in the industry by bringing a new deal to farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security alongside natural recovery.”
