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Get your free copy05 March 2012, 15:52 PM
- After the battery egg ban came into force on 1st January 2012, supermarket bosses are concerned food producers will not be able to afford the cost of ethical eggs in coming months
The new law claims that eggs from conventional cages are illegal and this has led to a shortage of both liquid and powdered egg, and therefore an increase in price.
Used in a number of retail products this ban has presented supply problems for large producers and supermarkets, with the price of eggs on the EU wholesale market nearly quadrupling over the past week to more than four euros a kilo.
For example, The Farmers Guardian reported that a traditional ice cream manufacturer in Kent was informed that the price he pays for egg yolk will rise by 70% from the start of this month.
Philip Hudson, head of food and farming at the National Farmers Union, said British egg producers had spent £400m ensuring their industry complied with the new regulations. “People have known about this new rule coming into force for some time,” Mr Hudson told the Guardian. “As a result, British producers are keen to ensure illegal eggs are not imported into this country.”
A spokeswoman for the British Egg Industry Council, which represents British producers, said it was aware conditions in the market were “tight” but declined to comment further.
