AS British Free Range Egg Producers Association chairman Tom Vesey commented last month on farm stamping of eggs is very much back in the news. Some see it as a nuisance and just another on-cost while others
see on farm stamping as an inevitable fact for which the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
Council member Charlie Stephenson felt that on farm stamping would not stamp out fraud but make it more difficult. He accepted that for those who currently
hand pack their eggs there could be significant increases in labour costs.
However, for those with farm packers there should be few problems since there were a number of tried and tested units which could be installed.
On balance Mr Stephenson felt stamping was inevitable and that on balance the industry should go with it. Tony Burgess of Birchgrove Eggs added that he was already stamping on farm and felt this was important in so much
that it guaranteed full traceability. He was aware of the fact that many producers would need to invest in
suitable equipment but felt packers should be looking to give some assistance to their suppliers.
Elwyn Griffiths of Oakland Farm Eggs told the Ranger that all their contract farm suppliers would be on farm
stamping by mid September. They had looked at a number of stamping units and were satisfied the technology and
choice were there. But he felt that egg stamping was as much a marketing tool and thus egg marketing companies
had an obligation to their suppliers to assist in the costs of the consumables involved in stamping. A full statement
from the company on its policy is expected any day.
A point made by many members was that as most eggs produced in Europe had to be stamped on farm this could be used against them if they failed to follow suit. This situation had been brought to a head following the announcement that the RSPCA had approved Dutch free range units under
its Freedom Food scheme.
BFREPA vice chairman John Widdowson was concerned that on farm stamping of eggs on smaller units, where there
were a number of small houses, would prove costly adding upwards of 2-3p/dozen to productions costs.
However, since testing a hand stamping machine he reckons the cost of printing on his own farm to be as little as
1p/dozen taking into account equipment costs, labour and
consumables. Initially no fan of on farm stamping John recognises that it is important to keep an open mind on the
subject. If imported eggs are stamped on farm then he feels the Lion Code – which has led the way on farm assurance – could be left trailing if it did not go down the same route. While he does not believe on farm stamping will
entirely cut out the opportunity for fraud, it would reassure consumers that the industry was taking all possible steps to prevent a repeat of the scam which was
exposed last year.
No decision has been made yet as to whether the Lion Code will introduce on farm stamping. A working group set up
by the BEIC – which included representatives from BFREPA – has now reported its findings to subscribers i.e.
the packers, for consideration.
Egg stamping options
There are two options open to producers, hand or automatic stamping of eggs. To find out more we spent half
a day with Steve Corden of Egg Packaging Enterprises (EPE). Steve is widely recognised throughout the industry as a leading expert when it comes to egg stamping and with no
axe to grind regarding the type of unit that producers should purchase is well placed to provide sound advise on
choosing the most suitable equipment to suit individual circumstances.
As Steve rightly points out no two production units are quite the same. What he does warn about is that producers should look long term and just not be guided by the initial cost. In addition producers should make a point
of looking at the costs of consumables which over time can outweigh savings made in purchasing what appears to be
a low cost unit.
He points to the fact that many units use ink cartridges which can cost upwards of £50 for 30/40ml of food grade ink whereas ink for an ink jet printer is less than £5/40ml.
He recommends that producers should go for units which can print a minimum of two lines including a logo with a
print size of at least 3mm but ideally 4mm.
What is available
Investigations via the internet have revealed at least nine different producers of egg stamping equipment ranging from simple hand stampers to more sophisticated automatic stampers capable of stamping up to 100 cases or more eggs an hour.
Domino UK
Domino stamping units have in the main been the ones of choice for the larger packers since the introduction of
the Lion code required printing on eggs. The A100 Egg Coder is capable of printing up to 100 cases of eggs an
hour and is clearly best suited for the larger producer.
Although at the top of the range on price the unit offers
considerable savings in consumable costs which is claimed will more than compensate for the higher initial set up
charges.
Contact : www.domino-printing .com
enquiries@domino-uk.com
Tel:01954 782551
EPE 01623 795911
Volker GmbH
Volker Egg coders offer a variety of choice for the smaller producer. The semi automatic 500-1K is capable of
printing up 7,500 eggs an hour and is available with an automatic egg tray transportation unit. The larger 1000-6K
is a fully automated unit for printing eggs on keyes trays with a maximum output of around 40,000 eggs an hour
when fitted to a farmpacker.
Contact: www.voelker-gmbh.net
info@voelker-gmbh.net
EPE 01623 795911
Fikser Stamps
Hand stamping equipment from 1-30 eggs offering a simple solution for smaller producers.
Contact: www.fikser.nl
info@fikser.nl
SEPRA 01324 715337
MBD Nitra s.r.o
This Slovakian Republic company offer a range of egg stamping alternatives depending on the type of on farm
packing unit is employed. Either two or three lines can be printed.
Contact: www.mbd-tech.com
obchod@mbd-tech.com
EPE 01623 795911
Jason Printing
Offer units which have throughput of up to 36,000 eggs an hour which can be fitted to any farmpacker. Up to 50
programmable messages can be included.
Contact: www.jason-printing.fr
jason-printing@wanadoo.fr
EPE 01623 795911
HeDi Pack
The company's Egg Flex coding systems offer producers a wide choice of both hand systems 1-30 eggs along with
units which can be fitted to any type of farm packer. Units have been tested in the UK in the UK in recent months and
have proved ideal for both small and medium sized producers.
Contact: www.hedipack.com
ahignettconsultant@yahoo.com
07711 113091
Reiner
Provide a flexible an economic solution offering both manual and conveyor mounted inkjet units. A choice of mains
or battery operation is offered. The units are distributed in the UK by Ludwig Ltd.
Contact: www.eggstamp.co.uk
sales@eggstamp.co.uk
0845 6585484
Nuovo
Offer a range of printers suitable for inline packers and graders in addition to a wide range of offline systems for
smaller producers. Capacities of up to 36,000 eggs an hour can be catered for.
Contact: www.nuovo.ch
admin@rational-labelling.com
01280 840988
