Now it’s 10 million on range

The number of free range layers in Britain has hit the 10 million mark. The latest landmark in the extraordinary expansion of the industry has been confirmed by official figures from Defra.

They show that in October the number of free range and organic layers in England and Wales had reached 8,876,717 and a further 1,001,844 birds were on range in Scotland.

With the addition of flocks in Northern Ireland the national flock easily moves into eight figures for the first time.

The speed of the expansion is breathtaking. Twenty years ago there were just 1,148,397 free range birds in the UK. By 1995 this figure had climbed to just under four million. In the last 12 months alone the biggest packing force in the country—Deans and Stonegate—have between them put an extra 700,000 birds on range.

BFREPA chairman Tom Vesey commented: "This is yet another landmark which demonstrates what extraordinary efforts have been made by the free range sector in recent years. Because it must be remembered that it is not just quantity that has grown. The assured quality of the product has improved as well, involving producers in ever more cost, work and commitment.

"So this should be a moment of great satisfaction for everyone involved in the industry. How ironic therefore that it turns out to be a time of deep concern over egg prices, increased costs and the threat of imports."

Reaching 10 million birds is just the latest key point in the explosive expansion of the free range market. Those reported by the Ranger in recent months include:

• Free range sales overtake cage in terms of value.

• The number of non-cage eggs bought annually in Britain tops two billion for the first time.

• The spend on all types of eggs hit half a billion pounds fuelled entirely by the switch to free range from cage.

• Sales of free range egg have risen almost a third since 2002 alone.

It is now widely predicted that the growth in free range sales will continue by at least 2.5 per cent per year and that the sector will overtake cage to become the biggest selling egg by 2010.

The new Defra figures also show how free range is moving to ever-bigger production units. Almost a third of all birds in England and Wales—more than 2.2 million—are on around 100 farms, each of which has over 20,000 hens. Another 800,000 are on around 50 farms which keep between 15-20,000 birds. Almost 2 million are on 150 farms with 10-15,000 birds. Only 120,000 birds are on farms which keep less than 1,000 hens and 770,000 birds are on farms with a total flock size of below 5,000.

More free range news on www.bfrepa.co.uk