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22/01/2004
Organic pullets decision fails to end confusion
Organic producers have been given a further 12 months before EU rules demand they must use organically-reared pullets. But the decision to extend the current derogation which allows the use of conventionally reared birds will do nothing to end the long drawn out confusion over the issue.
Uncertainty over just when the EU rules will come into force has, in fact, deepened. Britain had originally asked for an 18 month extension of the derogation. Having been given a year Defra officials will return to Brussels in March to begin discussions on extending by another six months.
This means pullet rearers still have no clear idea when demand for organic birds will finally be triggered and without a deadline will continue to be hesitant about making the huge financial investment needed. But there is also still no clear decision on what "organically reared" will mean in Britain. As already reported in the Ranger the Soil Association has much more demanding requirements on the issue (including access to range) than those proposed by other certification bodies (which favour verandahs).
Under terms of the new derogation producers are still required to source organic pullets "where they are available". But producers who can actually find a rearer then face the penalty of paying double for their birds when other organic farmers are still buying conventional birds at half the price. At least one company in the south west which had planned to begin organic rearing has now abandoned the idea.
The Soil Association has contacted its egg producer members saying that they must produce a plan explaining how many organic and non-organic birds they plan to buy "in 2004 and beyond" and what efforts are being made to ensure a supply of organic birds in the future.
In its Organic Food and Farming Report 2003 the SA spotlights uncertainties over standards as one reason why the organic egg market has ground to a halt. It lists the uncertainties hanging over the sector as the banning of synthetic amino acids, organic pullet rearing, the demand for a 100% organic diet in 2005 and the ending of the derogation on flock size and stocking density, also next year. The report says: "The market for organic eggs in the UK has already reached a level of maturity and is predicted to remain static in the near future. Standards development and clarity have been identified as key requisites for continued investment by producers and market development."
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Uncertainty over just when the EU rules will come into force has, in fact, deepened. Britain had originally asked for an 18 month extension of the derogation. Having been given a year Defra officials will return to Brussels in March to begin discussions on extending by another six months.
This means pullet rearers still have no clear idea when demand for organic birds will finally be triggered and without a deadline will continue to be hesitant about making the huge financial investment needed. But there is also still no clear decision on what "organically reared" will mean in Britain. As already reported in the Ranger the Soil Association has much more demanding requirements on the issue (including access to range) than those proposed by other certification bodies (which favour verandahs).
Under terms of the new derogation producers are still required to source organic pullets "where they are available". But producers who can actually find a rearer then face the penalty of paying double for their birds when other organic farmers are still buying conventional birds at half the price. At least one company in the south west which had planned to begin organic rearing has now abandoned the idea.
The Soil Association has contacted its egg producer members saying that they must produce a plan explaining how many organic and non-organic birds they plan to buy "in 2004 and beyond" and what efforts are being made to ensure a supply of organic birds in the future.
In its Organic Food and Farming Report 2003 the SA spotlights uncertainties over standards as one reason why the organic egg market has ground to a halt. It lists the uncertainties hanging over the sector as the banning of synthetic amino acids, organic pullet rearing, the demand for a 100% organic diet in 2005 and the ending of the derogation on flock size and stocking density, also next year. The report says: "The market for organic eggs in the UK has already reached a level of maturity and is predicted to remain static in the near future. Standards development and clarity have been identified as key requisites for continued investment by producers and market development."
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