Producers are to be allowed to increase stocking densities from the beginning of next year following a decision to amend the Lion code.
The decision was taken at a meeting of BEIC Lion code subscribers on September 30. External stocking densities are currently set at 1,000 birds per hectare under the Lion code, even though the EU egg marketing regulations allow stocking of up to 2,500 birds per hectare. Lion subscribers - the packers - have now agreed an increase, and Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, said it was an important decision in the light of still growing demand for free range eggs.
"What it means is that we will be able to more easily satisfy the increasing need for British Lion Quality free range eggs," he said.
The decision was also welcomed by BFREPA chairman Tom Vesey. "I am delighted. This is what we wanted. We wanted it set at 2,000 so that there was still a difference between us and the continent, where the figure is set at 2,500. As far as I know some subscribers at the meeting wanted to move to 2,500, but the decision that was taken is the one we wanted and I am delighted."
Freedom Food, however, says it is waiting to see evidence that there will be no detrimental effect on animal welfare. If that cannot be produced, it will continue with its stocking density limit of 1,000 birds per hectare.
Mark Williams said the amendment to the Lion code would come into force from January 1 2009.
"There was a very useful discussion at the meeting at which all views were discussed. The key point is that this enables us to go forward and as the demand continues to increase we will be able to meet that demand with British Lion Quality free range eggs. Producers will be able to have more birds in the same free range area - subject to planning permission, of course - and as far as bird welfare is concerned we do not believe there will be any problems. Producers in this country exercise a range of management skills to ensure the welfare of their birds and they will continue to do so.
He said that from 2012 conventional cages would be banned under EU law, although producers would be able to use enriched cages. "Organic is currently suffering because of the recession. Barn eggs are are unknown quantity at the moment. That is why they account for only four per cent of production. I don’t see that changing.
Free range, however, continues to grow. It will continue to do so and we need to be able to meet that increased demand. This change to the code will enable us to meet our needs as an industry and ensure that increasing demand is met by British Lion quality free range eggs.
"It is quite an exciting time for the industry. Producers can start making plans in conjunction with their packer.
They will obviously need to go through the planning process to extend their housing and in many areas this can take some time. Now that the decision has been made they can start making their plans."
Mark Williams said he hoped that Freedom Food, which is part of the RSPCA, would go along with the move. "We really do believe that this decision is in the best interest of the UK industry."
Leigh Grant, chief executive of Freedom Food, said the RSPCA was waiting to see the evidence that there would be no effect on animal welfare.
"The RSPCA has had very positive dialogue with the industry and it is asking the industry to provide evidence that this would not prove detrimental to animal welfare," he said. "The industry has agreed to run trials and the RSPCA is awaiting the result.
"My own personal position is that if the industry, working with the RSPCA, is able to arrive at a point where it can show that the change is not detrimental then I would be happy. However, I would not want the RSPCA to be influenced by commercial considerations."
He said that when a product carried the Freedom Food logo that product carried an RSPCA endorsement, so it was inevitable that the RSPCA should be very sensitive about welfare considerations. The RSPCA had worked very hard with the industry over the years to help put free range where it was today and he hoped that co-operation would continue. He pointed out that a huge number of retailers - the majority of them - were with Freedom Food. If the industry was not able to provide evidence that a change in stocking density would not affect animal welfare then the Freedom Food standard would not be changed. Then there would have to be two separate standards and the retailers and their customers would have to make a choice.
Tom Vesey said he was convinced that the change to the code would have no worsening effect on livestock welfare, and he said that it was important to make the change to meet new demands caused by other impending changes.
"On January 1 2012 two things will happen in the EU," he said. "The first is that conventional cages will be banned. There are real doubts about whether sufficient birds will have been moved over and there is a possibility that there will be a shortage of eggs because of that.
"The other thing is that restrictions on internal stocking densities will change.
Those who have been in free range for some time have been stocking at 11.7 birds per square metre. They were allowed a derogation from the EU changes but that derogation ends at the beginning of 2012. They will be limited to nine birds per square metre. That is something else that could cause a potential egg shortage," said Tom, who said that Lion’s increase in external stocking density limits would enable free range producers to fill some of the potential gaps in the market caused by the other changes.
"Land is also still very expensive despite the credit crunch," he said.
"Egg producers will now be able to improve production. In theory, if you have a 16,000 bird shed on 40 acres of land you will now be able to have two 16,000 bird sheds on the same land".
Tom said the decision may also help to overcome some of the problems in the planning system that were experienced by the industry. "If a new producer comes along and asks for permission for a hen unit a council tends to react with horror. If you are an existing producer who has been there for some time and local people have come to realise that having a unit nearby is not the horror story they thought, then the planning procedure is that much easier."
He said it was a fact of life that if people wanted alternative production, more land would be needed to produce eggs than having an intensive unit where you might have ten houses next to each other. " You cannot do that with free range because you need space for the birds to graze outside."
He said the British egg industry had so far been able to satisfy demand for eggs. Most retailers in this country sourced their eggs entirely from British suppliers. "That has got to be a good thing and hopefully it will continue to be the case as a result of this change in stocking densities."