Pullet shortage looms for organic layers

Organic egg producers may face difficulty keeping their flocks stocked with pullets unless rearers start to prepare for regulatory changes which come into force at the end of 2011.
Currently an exemption is in force to EU regulations which allows organic egg farms to bring in non-organically reared pullets, not more than 18 weeks old, when organically reared pullets are not available.
This exemption expires at the end of December 2011, meaning producers will need to begin hatching and raising wholly organic pullets as of August 2011.
Organic certifying bodies the Soil Association and Organic Growers and Farmers both agree producers need to begin to convert quickly.
OF&G chief executive Richard Jacobs said “only a handful” of their producers are rearing 100% organic pullets and this could prove to be a problem for the industry.
“We have a major infrastructure problem because we don’t have any large-scale pullet rearers that would find it particularly easy to convert to organic,” Mr Jacobs said.
Soil Association technical manager Sarah Hathway said they had been working with producers to prepare them.
“Over the last six or seven years we’ve been working with producers licensed with us to get to a position where they will meet the requirements when organic pullets are required,” Ms Hathway said.
“At the moment we’ve got a position where 70% of the eggs coming from us are from organic hens.”
Ms Hathway said despite good conversion figures Soil Association licensees only represented a small amount of the market.
A solution could be provided by a draft which would allow producers to take a conventionally produced three-day-old chick, raise it to organic standards, and then classify their eggs and the spent hen, wholly organic.
“It will still be a non-organic egg and a non-organic chick but you can bring it on the farm and convert it to a fully organic hen,” Mr Jacobs said.
The plan, proposed by DEFRA, will be presented to producers at a working group organised by the British Egg Industry Council today.
“We want to find out where the industry is and what the degree of acceptability is of these draft standards and what we have to do,” Mr Jacobs said.
Despite difficulties for the industry, Mr Jacobs said this was also an opportunity to market a better product to consumers.
“It is difficult for the industry and it will require a degree of change and a degree of cost, but I think from a consumer point of view there are plus points and we shouldn’t forget that,” Mr Jacobs said.
“It is a more organic bird, farmers need to capitalise on that fact.”
Hi Peak Organic Feeds feed adviser Mike Burrows said that for smaller producers home rearing was always an option.
“Home rearing is ideal for those small producers because they can source their own day-old chicks and they are rearing them all the way through,” Mr Burrows said.
“But that is a very small minority.”