Supermarket giant Morrisons is continuing with its policy of stocking Dutch free range eggs despite there now being adequate supplies of British eggs available.
The retailer first looked to Europe for supplies of free range in December 2006 following an acute shortage of UK-produced eggs. At the time it was estimated that eggs imported from Holland were making up around 15 per cent of Morrisons"e; free range sales. Since that time the drab packaging of its "e;Bettabuy"e; brand which the Dutch eggs were first sold under has been replaced with an upgraded pack featuring images of ranging hens, complete with an endorsement by the RSPCA"e;s Freedom Food scheme.
But Morrisons"e; actions have drawn criticism from BFREPA chairman Tom Vesey. "Whilst it is possible that Morrisons had little choice but to import supplies during the difficult trading conditions that existed around Christmas 2006, that situation no longer exists.
"Our members, along with the packers, have worked very hard over the last eighteen months to ensure that retailers in the UK can be supplied with British eggs all year round. Morrisons is the only major retailer failing to show 100 per cent support for British egg producers and the Lion scheme and what is even more surprising is it comes at a time when the retailer is making much of its supposed support for British farmers in its advertising campaigns."
TV celebrity Denise Van Outen is currently featuring in a series of Morrisons"e; television adverts, including one for fruit and vegetables with a voiceover by actor Jim Broadbent proclaiming "only one major supermarket sources and packs fruit and vegetables straight from British farms", while banners outside stores herald the retailer"e;s support for the British beef, pork and lamb sector.
In a statement to the Ranger, Morrisons said: "As part of our commitment to selling own label cage-free shell eggs by 2010 we have introduced a small proportion of Dutch free range eggs into a limited number of stores as a trial to encourage customers to move to free range.
"These eggs are RSPCA Freedom Food accredited, which ensures that they have been reared on a farm that meets higher welfare standards set by the RSPCA. They are clearly labelled with the country of origin and are approved to the KAT standard, which offers an exceptional degree of traceability back to the egg producer.
"We price our Dutch eggs the same as our standard eggs, making them affordable for everyone. Animal welfare is extremely important in the sourcing of our produce and we are committed to reduce the amount of cage eggs within our business."
For a retailer who claims to be committed to British agriculture, being the only major British retailer to import Dutch eggs seems to contradict Morrisons"e; claim to support UK farmers, says BFREPA, which is calling on Morrisons to support British egg producers and put an immediate end to these unnecessary imports.
Meanwhile Somerfield, which was the first major British retailer to import free range eggs when it sourced supplies from France in November 2006, has committed itself to selling only UK-produced eggs.
A spokesman for the retailer confirmed the move in a statement to the Ranger and said that the company would buy wholly UK eggs as long as they were available. "Somerfield is currently sourcing all its eggs from UK suppliers. Somerfield is committed to 100 per cent UK egg supplies and as long as we are able to secure sufficient volumes in the UK for our customers we will continue to do so."
Somerfield said that in the past UK packers had been unable to fully supply its egg requirements and top-up supplies had been sourced from France to fulfil customer demand. "We have been working closely with our suppliers to work towards 100 per cent consistent UK supply and we are pleased to be able to commit wholly to UK egg suppliers," says Somerfield.
