Nick Allen, chief executive, British Egg Industry Council
It is with great pleasure that I am writing my first comment in Poultry Business on behalf of the BEIC.
I am four weeks into my new role with the BEIC after spending 20 years in fresh produce, working for a co-operative of growers producing and selling berries and cherries. Throughout those 20 years the sector faced many challenges, for example, availability and cost of on farm labour, rising input cost inflation, use of plastic punnets and static retail prices. Nevertheless, the growers and the sector embraced these challenges, and through great skill and innovation, their businesses have significantly expanded across those 20 years. The long term consumer trend to eat healthier, more convenient, food, ideally produced in the UK has underpinned this growth.
The strong consumer trends observed in fresh produce are equally valid in eggs and are further complicated by consumer attitudes to different production techniques. I’m delighted to have a joined a sector that has embraced these challenges and made fundamental changes to on farm practices, productions techniques and use of technology, to name but a few, that has taken the sector forward so positively. The industry collaboration behind the BEIC and the British Lion Mark is a huge part of this success, with the British Lion Mark being recognised by around 80% of consumers and the majority identifying our core qualities of being British and produced to high standards of quality and food safety. I am a firm believer that this level of co-operation needs to continue as we all strive to continue to move forward positively and take on the challenges that will come our way.
The continued consumer preference for British eggs brings me on to two of BEIC activities that I would like to highlight:
Our petition on change.org, ‘supermarkets should use British eggs for foods made in Britain and STOP IMPORTING EGGS’ is about to reach 50,000 signatures. Our consumer research clearly shows that consumers want to be told where the food they buy comes from so that they can make informed purchasing decisions. As we move past the 50,000 signature mark we will trigger new consumer and awareness activity on this issue.
The BEIC have been supporting Animal Policy International (API), Compassion in Farming and the RSPCA, to produce a collaborative report titled – Protecting UK Welfare Standards in Imports. The launch took place in Parliament, hosted by Ruth Jones MP. We worked closely with API to help inform their report on the impact future trade agreements with countries that still use barren-battery cage systems would have on the eggs and egg products sector in the UK. Conventional ‘battery’ cages were banned in the UK and throughout the EU in 2012. Countries such as Mexico and India rely almost exclusively on barren cage systems, with no laying hen welfare legislation in place. Speaking at the report launch, Morgan Brobyn (Head of Public Affairs) said: “Our farmers are facing tough challenges on many fronts, from rising input costs, availability of labour, and of course changes to IHT – allowing imports of low-animal products would be yet another blow to our producers and industry, and a betrayal of our consumers”
The BEIC and API, alongside other animal welfare NGOs are aligned on the principle that if it’s illegal to produce here, it should be illegal to import here. We will continue to reinforce this principle throughout 2025 as the wider conversation about international trade agreements will no doubt continue.