The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is considering relaxing free-range egg rules to help UK farmers struggling amid the avian flu outbreak.
If changed, the new rules will see eggs laid by birds that are housed indoors for over four months able to be marked with the free-range label.
At present, the free-range mark can only be applied to eggs laid by chickens that are housed indoors for less than 16 weeks.
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This comes as Defra looks to help UK farmers compete with farmers in Europe, where the rule was first suggested in September, according to reporting by The Telegraph.
Last year, an outbreak of avian flu killed over 3.8 million chickens in the UK as British egg producers warned for possible shortages as farmers struggled with uncertainty, resulting in some downsizing their flocks and even leaving the industry.
A third of UK farmers surveyed by the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) revealed they had cut the number of hens in their flock due to egg prices making them unable to cover costs.
“It’s very necessary that the UK aligns with the EU, otherwise retailers will import eggs labelled as free range from housed hens in the EU in the event of an AI [avian influenza] epidemic when there are none on the UK market,” BFREPA chief executive, Robert Gooch told The Telegraph.
“Housing orders protect the health and welfare of hens and shouldn’t affect the marketing of the product.”
A spokesperson for the British Egg Industry Council added: “Our priority is to ensure the health of our hens, as well as the viability of the free range sector.
“These are still free-range hens that have been housed to protect their health and wellbeing, but for a piece of legislation to say they can no longer be called free range after 16 weeks is wrong.”
