Compensation call in organic row

Pictured: Former environment minister Michael Meacher

Farms minister Ben Bradshaw is facing calls to compensate small and medium size organic egg producers who have been left financially stranded by his u-turn on stocking rates.

The demand for cash payments has come from both the Soil Association and from former environment minister Michael Meacher who is to take the issue to the floor of the House of Commons.

The moves are just part of a furious row that has followed the minister’s decision, revealed by the Ranger last month, to reverse a Government commitment to adopt new EU standards from next year. The new rules, which lower internal stocking rate to six birds per square metre and maximum flock sizes from 12,000 to 3,000, are not due to come into force in the rest of Europe until 2010. The new organic advisory body ACOS advised that the decision to introduce the improved standards five years early should stand.

But the minister instead listened to large-scale producers who warned of a shortage of organic eggs and the possibility of imports flooding the British market. A third of organic eggs are already produced at the new standards. All new entrants to the industry since 1999 have had to adopt them and some established producers have already invested large sums to make the changes.

In a letter to Ben Bradshaw the Soil Association’s policy director Peter Melchett has said: “You ignored the wishes of consumers, betrayed their trust in organic standards and ignored your own expert advice. I hope you will agree urgently to reconsider this ill-advised action.

“You have taken an indefensible decision that will cause economic hardship to many poultry producers working to achieve high standards of production in line with consumer expectations, a decision that is a slap in the face for the expert committee you have just appointed and a decision which rewards a small number of large poultry companies who we fear had no intention of complying with EU law.

“Please could you tell us what steps you intend to take to compensate small and medium size businesses that have already incurred expenditure to achieve the EU standards by 2005 and who will now suffer significant economic losses due to unfair competition you have unleashed upon them for another five years.”

The SA is also demanding the release of Defra files, under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, on how the Bradshaw decision was made. It wants the minutes or notes of all meetings, telephone calls and conversations surrounding the issue. It also wants to know what efforts were made to ascertain the views of organic consumers.

The association also wants action over the plans that should have been drawn up by producers to explain to their certification bodies how they were going to comply with the new rules. It is asking the minister to trigger a special audit of organic bodies to confirm that these plans—a legal requirement—exist.

Michael Meacher, the minister who decided that the new rules should be introduced in Britain in 2005, said the U-turn was a mistake.

“What we are talking about is the integrity of the organic market,” he said. “When a consumer goes into a supermarket or shop they have an idea in their mind of organic standards and they do not think that refers to keeping chickens in flock sizes of up to 12,000 birds and at stocking densities of twelve birds per square metre or more. To allow the derogation to continue for another five years is a serious mistake.

“The minister’s advisory body had a lengthy meeting about this and overwhelmingly advised him to stick to the plans previously agreed. There is a real issue as to why the minister changed his mind when the committee was very clear in its advice.

“People want to have high standards of animal welfare. It is not meeting consumers expectations if birds are unlikely to get out of the popholes and are living in colonies of 12,000. It is a question of knowing your eggs are coming from animals that have been treated well and are in good health. If you have colonies of 12,000 think of the faeces and parasites, particularly if the sheds are not mobile.

“These are important issues for the public.

These changes had not been sprung on producers. Many have made the changes. Are they now going to be compensated because of discrimination in terms of competition? I intend to raise this issue in the House of Commons.”