To the egg producing industry, they are known as "enriched colony systems". But to the RSPCA they are "battery cages" pure and simple. Before the new welfare of laying hens legislation has even come into effect, (as it does on 1 January 2012), the RSPCA has been issuing press releases branding the new systems "cruel" and demanding that they too are banned in favour of free-range production only. What's your take on it?

I think they are enriched battery cages. They are still cages, and whilst I never cared for the term "battery" I honestly cannot see any justification in claims that they are not cages. Having said that, I am currently without hens (will buy pullets in the New Year) and buy eggs from caged birds by choice.

A BBC news item said last night that the majority of EU countries have said that they are going to ignore the ruling.

Peter Wells:

A BBC news item said last night that the majority of EU countries have said that they are going to ignore the ruling.

 

Surprise surprise!

 

What the RSPCA fails to understand is that they may have some influence on the way in which meat and eggs are produced in this country but they have very little or no influence on what is sold on supermarket shelves. The market dictates that over 50% of egg in the UK market is produced under cheaper intensive systems. The only thing that the RSPCA would achieve by having colony cages banned is to export our intensive production abroad, halving our self sufficinecy for egg in one fell swoop, without altering the level of intensive egg consumed in the UK one iota. It would be self defeating as we would then have very little control over the production standards of the imported egg and its safety (eg salmonella in Spanish egg).

Just look what happened to the British pig industry following the ban on stalls in 1999. The RSPCA can only increase the consumption of percieved higher welfare food by influencing peoples purchase decisions- it is after all illegal to ban the import of meat based on welfare reasons.

 

RSPCA... Freedom food scheme mad. That's all i can say!!! They have no understanding of farming and just worry about hamsters etc.

 Dixydean, Is there a salmonella problem with Spanish eggs?

old mcdonald:

 Dixydean, Is there a salmonella problem with Spanish eggs?

Do you think they don't then???

 fastbikes, There is an old saying - The only stupid question is one to which you already know the answer. I do not know, have never heard of it (and Spain is about 40 miles away) so asked someone who posted to the effect that there is a safety problem because of salmonella in Spanish eggs. Do you know? If you do, please give me some information. Not hearsay, but definite facts. Being so close to the border, and crossing it from time to time, when naturally I eat, and occasionally do some shopping, I would like to know.

There is a salmonella problem with some Spanish eggs (you can't tar everyone with the same brush). Last year 262 people had food poisoning in one outbreak in the UK & eggs were the cause. They were traced back to a laying unit in Spain. In 2009 443 people had food poisoning from Spanish eggs & 2 of these people died. In 2004 15 people died & the cause was traced to Spanish eggs. In 2006 the Food Standards Agency tested eggs from across Europe & found Spain to be the worst for testing positive for Salmonella. They found 1 egg positive out of every 8 half dozen boxes. The strain of salmonella in the key for tracability. Its Salmonella Enteriditis Phage Type 14bNXCpl which has been found in laying flocks in Spain. This strain has never been found in a UK laying flock. The problem is that vaccination against salmonella is still not being done on a lot of laying farms in the EU. In my opinion, eating Spanish eggs would be like playing Russian Roulette!

Thanks Dave the egg. Although the last time i was in Spain a year ago, i ate some eggs and they tasted good! I agree with everything you say.

The every 15 week testing and all the Lion code standards we have is the right thing to do. Then we get flooded with cheaper and unsafe eggs, which then put the public off eating eggs.

If i could win the lottery i would be living 30mins from Malaga. A £500K Villa, it's trail bike heaven!

 SOD being a Free range egg producer!!!

Watch the imports of eggs from battery hens produced in the very same way that we as a country have just legislated against.............the only hope is to alert and inform the consumer, and encourage them to support the British free range egg industry.

 Dave the Egg, Thank you. I will stick to my own, or as now when I currently have no hens, buying Portuguese.

Fastbikes, Save your money spend a very small percentage of half a million on a rural place in the middle of Portugal and enjoy even better biking. You could join the "bikers" club in Castelo Branco too. Another "esttrangeiro" I share machinery with is into bikes and he reckons they are a great bunch of blokes.