Post by Lord Emsworth on Oct 24, 2023 11:56:07 GMT
I'm guessing those eggs must be produced for export to non-EU countries
Or maybe Polish eggs don't meet the EU criteria for export so no eggs are exported to other EU countries
Either way the number of eggs imported from Poland rose by more than 2,000% between 2021 and August 2023
More generally this has everything to do with Brexit as the article makes clear....
Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, said she was “staggered” by the import figures for the first eight months of 2023. “When the medical advice is to eat British Lion eggs [stamped to show they have been produced in accordance with a code of practice], why on earth would they be importing eggs produced to standards that would be illegal in the UK?” she asked. “It raises serious questions as to whether the government is checking food imports given the ongoing delays in the border target operating model.”
Gary Ford, the deputy chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, echoed her concerns, saying it was “very disappointing” to see imports growing, “particularly at a time when British producers have been struggling due to poor returns”.
He said: “It’s also very concerning for consumers, with a recent report showing that a large salmonella outbreak earlier this year was linked to Polish eggs.”
The increase in imports comes amid shortages of stock, which began in late 2022 after egg farmers cut production because of spiralling costs due to food and energy price rises. UK egg production declined 8% in 2022 and 10% this year, according to official data.
Farmers have been raising the issue with the UK government, but the response has been unsympathetic. The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, was booed earlier this year at the National Farmers’ Union conference when she maintained she was “not necessarily seeing a market failure in poultry” despite empty shop shelves.
Retailers have sourced produce from elsewhere in Europe including Latvia and Hungary, data shows.
According to the Polish ecological and animal welfare organisation Klub Gaja, about 40 million layers are now bred in Poland, with 87% of them kept in cages. The average space for each hen is slightly larger than an A4 sheet of paper.
Concern has been raised that the quality of eggs could decline further as post-Brexit trade deals see the reintroduction of battery eggs. As part of the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), ministers are expected to give the green light to produce being imported from countries including Mexico.
The RSPCA’s head of public affairs, David Bowles, said that in 1999 the UK government agreed to a ban on caged eggs: “The public has supported this ban by buying free range eggs and would be horrified if they knew low-welfare egg products are being sneaked into this country under the radar.” He said a lot of egg imports from overseas were now dried or liquid eggs, “which don’t have to be labelled and tend to be sourced on price, not provenance”.
Or maybe Polish eggs don't meet the EU criteria for export so no eggs are exported to other EU countries
Either way the number of eggs imported from Poland rose by more than 2,000% between 2021 and August 2023
More generally this has everything to do with Brexit as the article makes clear....
Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, said she was “staggered” by the import figures for the first eight months of 2023. “When the medical advice is to eat British Lion eggs [stamped to show they have been produced in accordance with a code of practice], why on earth would they be importing eggs produced to standards that would be illegal in the UK?” she asked. “It raises serious questions as to whether the government is checking food imports given the ongoing delays in the border target operating model.”
Gary Ford, the deputy chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, echoed her concerns, saying it was “very disappointing” to see imports growing, “particularly at a time when British producers have been struggling due to poor returns”.
He said: “It’s also very concerning for consumers, with a recent report showing that a large salmonella outbreak earlier this year was linked to Polish eggs.”
The increase in imports comes amid shortages of stock, which began in late 2022 after egg farmers cut production because of spiralling costs due to food and energy price rises. UK egg production declined 8% in 2022 and 10% this year, according to official data.
Farmers have been raising the issue with the UK government, but the response has been unsympathetic. The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, was booed earlier this year at the National Farmers’ Union conference when she maintained she was “not necessarily seeing a market failure in poultry” despite empty shop shelves.
Retailers have sourced produce from elsewhere in Europe including Latvia and Hungary, data shows.
According to the Polish ecological and animal welfare organisation Klub Gaja, about 40 million layers are now bred in Poland, with 87% of them kept in cages. The average space for each hen is slightly larger than an A4 sheet of paper.
Concern has been raised that the quality of eggs could decline further as post-Brexit trade deals see the reintroduction of battery eggs. As part of the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), ministers are expected to give the green light to produce being imported from countries including Mexico.
The RSPCA’s head of public affairs, David Bowles, said that in 1999 the UK government agreed to a ban on caged eggs: “The public has supported this ban by buying free range eggs and would be horrified if they knew low-welfare egg products are being sneaked into this country under the radar.” He said a lot of egg imports from overseas were now dried or liquid eggs, “which don’t have to be labelled and tend to be sourced on price, not provenance”.