The UK egg sector is entering a period of uncertainty as two major policy developments unfold: the extension of tariff-free egg imports from Ukraine and the Government’s proposal to phase out enriched colony cages by 2032. While each issue on its own is a challenge, industry leaders warn that together they risk undermining domestic production and distorting competition.
Despite assurances from government that food security is being taken seriously, the message from industry is growing increasingly frustrated that there is a lack of consideration about the impact of policy decisions on farm businesses.
Ukraine support comes at a cost
The Government’s decision to extend its trade agreement with Ukraine for a further two years without introducing quotas on egg imports has been met with strong opposition from British producers, particularly those operating in the free-range sector.
The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) said it had hoped “at a minimum that a quota system would be introduced to control the volume of eggs entering the UK”. Instead, the continuation of unrestricted access has intensified concerns that domestic producers will be exposed to competition they cannot realistically match.
BFREPA has insisted its objections don’t reflect a lack of solidarity with Ukraine. “We support the Ukrainian people as they approach the fourth anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion,” said chairman James Baxter. However, he argued that “support should be from general taxation” rather than through trade measures that “undermine UK egg farmers”.
Central to this is the question of standards. BFREPA argues that UK producers operate to “world-leading standards on animal welfare, environmental protection and food safety”, while Ukrainian eggs are labelled as “non-UK standard”. Although the Government has said eggs imported under the deal will meet UK requirements, BFREPA said “the continued use of such labelling raises doubts and concerns”.
For many producers, scale is a critical issue. BFREPA highlighted that “many UK egg producers are small family businesses” facing “higher production costs due to scale and high standards”, making it difficult to compete with “large Ukrainian producers operating at lower standards”.
Transparency
Producers are also concerned about how Ukrainian eggs will enter the food chain. BFREPA warned that “a significant proportion of imported eggs are expected to be used as ingredients in processed foods, where country of origin is not always clear”.
This lack of visibility, the association argues, limits consumers’ ability to make informed choices and risks eroding confidence in British eggs more generally. Baxter warned the decision “risks weakening national food security at a challenging geopolitical time, as well as consumer confidence in British produce”.
The organisation has since written to the Prime Minister, met with MPs and sought urgent discussions with Defra and the Department for Business and Trade. “This decision is deeply disappointing and unfair on our members,” Baxter said. “It lets down British egg farmers, undermines the UK’s world-leading animal welfare and food safety standards.”
Cage ban consultation
At the same time as producers grapple with trade pressures, the Government has launched an eight-week public consultation on proposals to ban enriched colony cages for laying hens, pullets and breeder layers.
Under the plans, new enriched cages would not be permitted after 2027, with all remaining systems phased out by 1 January 2032. Defra confirmed that the ban would apply “including for smaller producers”, with enriched colony cage eggs currently supplying “just over 20% of the UK shell egg production”.
Defra has framed the proposals as reflecting public expectations. Farming minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “British consumers want high animal welfare standards and these measures reflect those values, creating healthier livestock and high welfare food production.”
However, industry bodies have questioned both the assumptions and the timetable underpinning the proposals.
Market distortion
The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has warned that banning enriched cages without firm action on imports risks undermining the very producers being asked to invest in new systems. Chief executive Nick Allen said the plan “is likely to deliver little meaningful benefit for hens while undermining UK egg farmers and distorting the market”.
A particular concern is the absence of commitments on imported eggs and egg products. Allen warned that the Government “has not committed to equivalent bans on imported shell eggs, egg products and finished goods containing egg”. Without this, he said, “UK farming [is] exposed to unfair competition from imports and risks moving food production overseas”.
The BEIC has called for a clear principle of equivalence, arguing: “Products that would be illegal to produce in the UK must be illegal to import and sell here.”
While shell eggs are clearly labelled, Allen said “the real transparency gap lies in egg products and the food service sector where the origin and production type are often hidden from view”. He added that industry research shows consumers “feel misled when imported eggs are used in products such as quiches and sandwiches”.
Affordability
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has also raised concerns about the broader consequences of an outright cage ban. NFU Poultry Board chair Will Raw warned of “the unintended consequences of the outright banning of production systems like enriched colony cages which currently provide an affordable and nutritious source of protein to a growing population”.
Raw argued that “production method alone was not necessarily an indicator of animal welfare” and cautioned that banning colony cages could increase imports of eggs “produced to standards already illegal here”.
Affordability is a central issue for many shoppers. The NFU said enriched colony cages “positively contribute to wider food security and environmental goals”, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis. Raw warned that banning the system could lead to “an increase in imports” and place additional pressure on prices in the processed egg sector, where “price is a significant factor for consumers”.
Planning barriers compound these concerns. Raw said “there are also significant barriers that need to be unlocked by the government in tandem with the animal welfare strategy, such as the planning system which is currently prohibitive to sector growth”.
Risks stacking up
What has alarmed many in the egg sector is not simply the individual policies, but the way they add up. Producers are being asked to undertake costly structural change at the same time as protections against lower-standard imports appear to be weakening.
The extension of tariff-free Ukrainian egg imports and the proposed cage ban both raise the same question: how can UK producers compete when higher standards are not consistently applied across the market?
As the consultation continues and trade arrangements remain in place, industry bodies say they want to work with the Government. The BEIC said it would “try to work constructively with Government to achieve the best possible outcome”, while emphasising that “the answer is not banning enriched cages”.