The Polish Government has asked the EU to delay the ban on the use of conventional cages for fives years.
The ban is due to come into force on January 1 2012 and the EU has so far insisted that it will go ahead as planned, even though many in the UK egg industry believe that some EU states will fail to meet the deadline. They have expressed concern that if the ban is delayed, egg producers in the UK and other EU countries who have invested in alternative production systems will face unfair competition from those allowed to continue with battery production.
Poland has now become the first state to formally ask for the ban to be put back. Its submission has gone to the EU’s Agriculture Council and was due to be discussed at a meeting of that council on February 22. Poland argues that imposing the ban in 2012 will lead to a shortage of eggs in the EU and result in lower standard and lower welfare eggs being imported from outside the union.
In its submission, Poland says that EU figures produced from October 2008 showed just 6.9 per cent of laying hens in enriched cages. In Poland only 99 out of 591 units were using enriched cages.
The submission reads: "If the prohibition on using unenriched cages, set forth in Article 5(2) of the above mentioned directive, is imposed with effect from 1 January 2012, the production of eggs by numerous establishments operating not only in Poland, but also in other EU member states may stop. A natural consequence of ceasing production by producers, who will not be able to adjust their farms to the requirements of the above mentioned directive, will be a reduction in the supply of eggs produced in the EU. Thus, it may become necessary to reduce the deficit in egg supply on the EU market by importing eggs from outside the EU. These eggs will be produced without observing restrictive norms on both the welfare (of) laying of hens and the production of fodder ensuring the safety of animal products. As a result, the imported eggs may turn out to be of doubtful quality and the method of their production will be outside the control of the EU countries."
Poland says it would be bad for consumers and bad for EU producers, who would be competing with lower cost producers outside the EU. It is asking for the ban on conventional cages to be deferred until January 1 2017.
The UK Government has been pressing for the ban to be imposed as planned in 2012. And it has accepted the argument of the UK egg industry that if any state is allowed to delay implementation of the directive, restrictions should be put in place. Those would include an intra-EU trade ban on conventional cage eggs and a separate stamp code to distinguish them from eggs from alternative systems of production.
Defra Minister Jim Fitzpatrick was expected to be at the February 22 Agriculture Council meeting, and Compassion in World Farming quickly called on him to reject Poland’s submission. The pressure group circulated a draft letter for welfare campaigners to sign and send to the Minister.
It reads: "I am most concerned to hear about the Polish government proposal to postpone the 2012 ban on the conventional battery cage. I understand this proposal will be discussed at the EU Agriculture Council on 22 February. I know that you oppose any postponement of the cage ban and urge you to stress most strongly at the council meeting that the UK is opposed to the Polish proposal to postpone the EU ban on conventional battery cages."
