The NFU is urging consumers to buy British eggs in the wake of revelations by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that one in 30 boxes of eggs imported into the UK were contaminated with salmonella.

In 1,744 six-egg boxes tested by the FSA between March 2005 and July 2006, 157 packs had salmonella found on the shell and 10 packs had the bacteria inside the egg.

This compares with a similar survey in 2004 of 28,000 UK eggs that found no salmonella inside, with only nine having traces on the shell. 

NFU poultry board vice chairman, with responsibility for eggs, Duncan Priestner said: “These results show how important it is to buy UK eggs carrying the Lion Quality stamp or UK country of origin.

“UK egg producers have spent more than £50m investing in the Lion Quality scheme which shows that hens have been vaccinated against salmonella – effectively eliminating any risk - making ours one of the safest in the world.”