Egg producers face costly bird flu postcode lottery

The Government has been accused of a lack of common sense over new rules to combat avian flu, which industry chiefs claim put free range egg producers at risk of going out of business.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Feb 2017, 17:14 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 09:23 BST

To limit the chances of the disease spreading further, poultry and captive birds in areas deemed “High Risk” by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) must remain indoors when current England-wide restrictions end on February 28.

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) claims this creates a postcode lottery, and combined with the “serious inconsistency” in approaches by UK governments, the future viability of free range egg producers’ businesses is threatened.

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While bird keepers in High Risk Areas (HRA) of England will abide by housing restrictions come March, flocks in Wales - where there has been an outbreak of the H5N8 disease strain - and those in Scotland will be allowed outside.

To highlight the difficulties this creates, BFREPA chief executive Robert Gooch has written to Defra Minister Lord Gardiner and Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens.

Mr Gooch said: “This inconsistent approach is proving divisive among producers in the UK and will spell the end for some of our members in England who will lose their free range status.

“There is a lack of common sense in an approach that allows birds on one side of the Severn Estuary to range, while across the border in England birds continue to be housed. It has created a postcode lottery.

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“An outbreak at a broiler farm in Suffolk this week was outside of the proposed HRA, demonstrating that there is little science available to accurately pinpoint where HRAs should be.”

BFREPA estimates that about 150 of its members, who produce about two million eggs per day, will be in a HRA and will be forced to downgrade their eggs from free range to barn at a cost of about 20p per dozen.

Instead of zoned housing, Mr Gooch wants the enhanced biosecurity measures that are proposed for the majority of English free range flocks outside of HRAs to apply all over the country.

Mr Gooch added: “We are calling on Defra to review its position and change the policy before we see our producers go out of business.”

Related topics:DEFRAEnglandGovernment