Concerns about the threat from imports of eggs from hens kept in conventional cages were very much in evidence at this week's NFU annual conference.
The fear is that, with the UK well on the way to complying with the EU regulation that will ban conventional cages from 1 January 2012, other member states are dragging their feet.
Poland in particular, where just 100 of the country's 600 commercial units have started to replace their conventional cages with new enriched ones, is already seeking a five-year extension to the new rule. And it is likely that other new member states will soon join them in demanding similar exemptions.
NFU poultry board chairman Charles Bourns told delegates this week that over 100m hens are likely to still be in conventional cages in Europe in 2012, giving those producers a massive cost advantage...
It is therefore crucial that countries that do comply with the new regulations are able to ban imports from those that do not - otherwise they will find themselves undercut unfairly.
Egg producers will no doubt be drawing some comfort from the words of support given by EU head of animal welfare Andrea Gavinelli and DEFRA secretary Hilary Benn at the NFU event.
Mr Gavinelli said there was no way the EU Commission would change the legislation now and was not minded to give an extension to anyone.
Mr Benn was equally opposed to any derogations, and supported the idea of a trade ban at UK borders for any eggs laid in conventional cages from 2012 onwards.
Both are laudable aims, but neither has any guarantee of success.
Decisions in Brussels are taken by the EU agriculture council and the European parliament and, whatever the commission might want, member states could still force an extension if enough member states call for one.
Indeed, there are plenty of examples of the UK and EU Commission working together in the past - for example on GM crops and compulsory EU modulation - only to be outmanoeuvred by groups of countries with a different agenda.
It is therefore still possible that derogations could be granted. The question then is what will happen to all those eggs? They won't be thrown away, and they won't all be consumed in the country where they are produced.
The chances are, they will try to find an outlet in premium markets, such as the UK - regardless of whether or not the UK government is successful in negotiating an intra-community trade ban.
The messages delivered at the NFU's conference on this whole subject were certainly encouraging. But egg producers should not be counting their chickens just yet...
* For more blog postings click here. And why not sign up for regular email alerts?
| Tweet |
|
Leave a comment
Want a user icon? Get a Gravatar!