On-farm stamping to be adopted into the Lion Code

On-farm stamping is to be adopted as part of the Lion code from the end of this year. And the move has been welcomed by BFREPA chairman Tom Vesey.

Subscribers to the Lion code discussed the issue at a meeting on September 29, and British Egg Industry Council chief executive Mark Williams subsequently confirmed that a decision had been taken to make on-farm stamping part of the code. Cage eggs produced under the code will have to be stamped on farm from December 31 this year. Other eggs, including free range, will have to be stamped on farm from December 31 next year.

"It will further enhance traceability," said Mark, who said the introduction of on-farm stamping into the code had been staggered for practical reasons.

Last month we reported that Scottish egg producer John Campbell had come out against on-farm stamping for free range eggs. He said it would be an unnecessary cost for free range producers when it was only likely to be cage eggs that were used in any potential fraud. "No-one is going to pass free range eggs off as something else so there is no point having free range producers stamping their eggs on the farm," he said. However, others have come out in support of on-farm stamping, including BFREPA chairman Tom Vesey.

"I am delighted at the decision," said Tom. "I have been pushing for this for years. I know it will be expensive. Certainly for the small producer it will be an additional cost. Even if the packer pays for the machinery, there will be an extra cost in time so producers will need to see a better price for their eggs, but I support on-farm stamping. It may not prevent fraud on its own but it is another obstacle to it."

The BFREPA council has, itself, voted in favour of on-farm stamping, and Tom believes that in time on-farm stamping should be extended beyond the Lion code. He said he would like Defra to make it mandatory for all egg producers in this country. "I know most eggs are produced under the Lion code, but there are eggs produced outside the code and I think that for it to have maximum effect it should be applied to all egg producers."

Last month, Charles Bourns, chairman of the NFU’s poultry board, told Ranger that he believed on-farm stamping was necessary to help prevent fraud.