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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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Tough action promised to protect UK egg farmers
January 17, 2012 2:11 PM
This battery hen has been rehomed - new rules prevent the use of battery cages across Europe since 1 January 2012.
Local MEP Fiona Hall has secured an assurance from the European Commission that it is prepared to take legal action against Members States that do not comply with the ban on battery hens.
While UK farmers have invested in ensuring their facilities meet new standards which came into force this month, they fear their business being undermined by cheap imports from countries flouting the rules.
Lib Dem Fiona Hall said:
"UK egg producers who invested heavily in new enriched cages to replace battery cages must not suffer from illegal competitors who can undercut their prices through animal cruelty.
"I welcome the Commission's determination to hold non-compliant Member States to account.
"The Commission must also support countries such as the UK that are using every means at their disposal to try and ban illegally produced eggs from entering their markets."
According to EU Health and Consumer Commissioner John Dalli, inspection teams will start their investigations in targeted Member States as of January 2012 to collect evidence of non-compliance to back up the prosecution when it goes to court.
In the UK, Defra has revealed that 30 UK farms still use battery cages for up to 500,000 laying hens. However, the Government announced that it expected full compliance with the new hen welfare law by February and would prosecute any non-compliant egg producers after this date.
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