WE EAT ELEVEN BILLION EGGS A YEAR according to the British Eggs Information service – and we spent over £860 millon on them last year! The egg industry had a retail market value of £868m in 2010. In considering this massive value, then it prompts a question: How come half a dozen eggs in one shop can cost £1.20 whilst only 39p in another?
Fresh and Fruity greengrocers in Hedon town centre sell cartons of 6 eggs for 39p – but in Heron a similar half a dozen costs 55p and at Co-op they cost a whacking £1.20.
The answer obviously lies in the production methods used – some farms and producers put greater emphasis on the welfare of the chickens which in turn raises production costs. There are four key production methods:
The laying cages system is the most common production system. This involves birds being kept in cages. In the UK, conventional ‘battery’ cages are being phased out and by 1st January 2012 will be banned across the European Union. They are being replaced by larger, enriched or colony cages.
Food is supplied in troughs fitted to the cage fronts and an automatic water supply is provided. The units are kept at an even temperature and are ventilated. Electric lighting provides an optimum day length throughout the year.The cages have sloping mesh floors so that the eggs roll forward out of the reach of the birds to await collection.
In the barn system hens are able to move freely around the house. The EU Welfare of Laying Hens Directive stipulates a maximum stocking density of 9 hens per square metre of useable floor space. Perches for the hens must be installed to allow 15 centimetres of perch per hen. Litter must account for one third of the ground surface. This is used for scratching and dust bathing.
Eggs termed free range, are produced from hens that have continuous daytime access to runs which are mainly covered with vegetation. The hen house conditions for free range hens must comply with the regulations for birds kept in barn systems, with a maximum stocking density of 9 hens per square metre. Hens must be provided with nest boxes and perches.
Hens producing organic eggs are always free range. In addition, hens must be fed an organically produced diet and ranged on organic land.
How do you know which eggs you have bought? All eggs have to be marked with a code showing the type of farming system which will be 3 for cage, 2 Barn, 1 Free Range and 0 for Organic. The code will also show country of origin and farm identification. So a typical Fresh and Fruity egg marked:
3UK16378
reveals that the egg is from a caged bird, produced in the UK from Field Farm Eggs in South Newbald near York.
Some eggs will include additional information. Eggs with the British Lion mark and a ‘best before date’ on the shell, denotes eggs produced to a stringent Code of Practice incorporating the latest research and advice from scientists and vets.
The methods used in egg production have obvious cost implications. However, in spite of the obvious, the latest statistics from DEFRA reveal that the average price paid by packers to egg producers for all eggs at the beginning of 2011, was 69.7 pence per dozen - note price is per dozen - which represents a 6.9% decrease on the same period in 2010. This means the average price of half-a-dozen eggs – before wholesale and retail profit and costs is added – should be around 35p!
So perhaps the carton of six eggs from Field Farm, via Fresh and Fruity at 39p, is nearer to the kind of price we should be paying for 6 eggs!?
This article has been re-published from July as a contribution to Blog Action Day 2011.
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