The BFREPA forum at the Fair focused on two major priorities for free-range egg producers: fairness in the supply chain and environmental stewardship. Chaired by Gary Ford, head of strategy and producer engagement at BFREPA, the session brought together representatives from DEFRA and the Environment Agency to provide updates on regulatory developments and new support initiatives.
Lewis Acred, senior policy adviser from DEFRA opened the discussion with an update on the government’s work to introduce Fair Dealing Regulations for the egg sector. He explained that the regulations are designed to address “power imbalances within the supply chain” by improving transparency and ensuring fairer contractual relationships between producers and buyers.
The initiative builds on similar reforms in the dairy and pig sectors and aims to establish minimum standards for contracts between egg producers and packers.
Written contracts
Acred highlighted that all producers will be entitled to written contracts, noting that DEFRA found that “20% were verbal agreements without anything written down.” The regulations will prevent unilateral contract changes, meaning amendments must be “mutually agreed.” They will also require greater transparency around pricing mechanisms, particularly where variable pricing is used, so producers understand “how and why” prices change.
Contracts will need clearly defined force majeure clauses, dispute resolution procedures, and protections allowing producers to terminate agreements in severe circumstances such as insolvency or repeated payment failures.
Addressing concerns about market intervention, Acred stressed that the regulations “don’t directly regulate price on what price should be paid for eggs.” Instead, the government remains committed to allowing prices to be determined by the free market while ensuring those outcomes are not distorted by “opaque or unfair trading practices.” Summarising the principle behind the reforms, he said, “A fair deal is any deal that you are willing to accept as long as you fully understand what’s involved in it and it doesn’t change throughout the course without your permission.”
Environmental responsibility
The second major topic focused on environmental responsibility, with Sharon Chisholm from the Environment Agency presenting a new environmental guidance document being developed jointly by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, and BFREPA. Gary described the project as an effort to create “almost a one-stop shop” where producers can easily access relevant environmental legislation alongside practical examples of good practice.
Sharon explained that the guidance will cover operational areas such as housing, manure handling, storage, manure exports, and disease outbreak procedures. A central theme of the document is resource efficiency, with Sharon reminding producers that “anything lost to the environment is essentially a resource that’s lost from your business.” She highlighted ammonia reduction as a key focus, explaining how improved manure handling and covered storage can reduce emissions while preserving nitrogen, an increasingly valuable input given current fertiliser costs.
The guidance will clearly distinguish between legal compliance requirements and optional best-practice recommendations. Sharon stressed that it is “not prescriptive,” but rather designed to help producers assess risks and adopt measures that suit their own businesses. She also noted that producer case studies will be included to support peer-to-peer learning. One example showed how investing in covered manure storage significantly improved dry matter content and increased retained nutrient levels by around 50%, demonstrating what she described as “a win-win for the environment and the business.”
Government grants
During the question-and-answer session, attendees asked whether government grants might become available for poultry manure storage infrastructure. Sharon confirmed that “at the moment, we haven’t seen any possibility of that,” although BFREPA committed to continuing discussions with DEFRA on the issue.
DEFRA’s Martin Jenkins then introduced a new Poultry Biosecurity Review programme launching this summer. The scheme will fund up to four hours of veterinary support for poultry businesses in England to assess and improve on-farm biosecurity. Martin described it as “a really, really straightforward” process and stressed that government hopes to see “high uptake” from eligible producers.
The session concluded with the launch of the BFREPA Layer Academy, a new leadership and development programme for ambitious individuals in the free-range egg sector. Designed to support future industry leaders, the 12-month programme will offer practical experience across the supply chain and valuable networking opportunities. BFREPA encouraged producers to apply, describing it as “an opportunity not to miss” and an important investment in the future resilience and leadership of the sector.