Battery eggs could f lood stores again under US free trade deal
FARMERS fear that a free trade deal with the US could herald the return of battery-produced eggs to supermarket shelves.
As well as torpedoing two decades of progress on animal welfare, they say that an unregulated transAtlantic agreement could decimate the £1billion-a-year British egg industry. The absence of federal legislation means farmers in America do not face the same regulatory costs as their British counterparts, providing a huge commercial advantage that could allow them to undercut UK farmers.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, which is leading a major campaign to Save Our Family Farms by protecting them from inferior foreign imports, Mark Williams of the British Egg Industry Council said: ‘Across the UK and Europe we have high standards of animal welfare, food safety and environmental protection and actually 16 per cent of the cost of producing a dozen eggs is down to legislation on those three areas.
‘That cost is not borne by countries outside Europe so straight away they have a 16 per cent economic advantage on us. I’d say we are probably one of the most efficient countries in the world in terms of producing eggs, but we have what UK citizens want and that’s high standards of animal protection and environmental protection.’
Aimee Mahony, poultry adviser for The National Farmers’ Union, said: ‘This market – worth over £1 billion in sales each year – would be severely impacted by any trade deal that allowed the import of eggs produced to standards that fall far below what is expected of
British farmers. It is crucial the Government does not agree to any trade deal that could see the imports of food that would be illegal for our farmers to produce here.’
The UK supported a European Council directive in 1999 to phase out the use of conventional battery cages in the EU by January 2012.
Britain now has 25 million freerange hens, the largest number in the world. By contrast, 95 per cent of America’s 280 million chickens live in battery cages.
Caged hens in the UK are allocated an average of 750 sq cm each, more than double that of US battery hens.
The British Free Range Egg Producers
Association says that the average egg producer in the UK is paid an average of 86p for a dozen eggs – less than the break-even price of £1. Farmers fear cheaper eggs will sound the death knell for the industry.
Food experts also fear Britain could be flooded with US pork containing cancer-causing substances.
More than 60 million US pigs are treated every year with the antibiotic Carbadox which is used to prevent disease and promote growth. It is banned in the UK.
Four years ago, the US government’s Food and Drug Administration warned that eating Carbadox-treated pork increases the risk of cancer. American food safety experts believe the export of products which have received Carbadox will ‘undoubtedly’ form part of a trade deal with the US.
President Trump’s chief negotiator Robert Lighthizer, who is heading talks on a trade deal with International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, has threatened to pull out if any significant barriers are imposed on US farmers.
The UK Government is split on the issue, although Ms Truss last week sought to assure the International Trade Select Committee. ‘When it comes to food, we will never lower our standards in order to sign a trade deal,’ she said.