Compassion in World Farming has expressed outrage at a U-turn from the EU Commissioner in charge of animal welfare that will mean illegal eggs could still be sold after a ban on barren battery cages comes into force in January. The farm animal welfare group said in a statement that it was “shocked” that producers who had ignored the impending deadline could still sell their illegal eggs next year. image expired

In a meeting of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee last week on 5th October, Commissioner John Dalli said there would be no postponement to the ban, which has been in planning for around 10 years, but said he was looking for a "solution" for those producers who had ignored the deadline, which Compassion said raised the prospect of illegally produced eggs being sold for processing in products including pasta and ready meals that utilise egg as an ingredient.

Industry bodies in the UK have previously warned that liquid, powdered and other such egg products may still be made from battery chickens even after the ban comes into force, as the origins of such products are harder to trace.

Dalli sends “completely the wrong message”

Peter Stevenson, Compassion in World Farming's Chief Policy Advisor, hit out at Dali’s comments, saying they were not conducive to ensuring the ban is rolled out effectively. Many NGOs and industry representatives have criticised the lack of action from the EC on enforcement measures to ensure countries comply with the ban, or that those which do not are prevented from exporting their illegal eggs.

Mr Stevenson said, "This is completely the wrong message for the Commission to be sending out at this time and makes a mockery of this legislation, the deadline for which egg producers across Europe have been aware of for more than a decade.

"Legalising the sale of illegally produced battery eggs in the Member State of production for processing would result in non-compliant farmers in countries such as Spain and Poland having a reduced incentive to move away from battery cages. Why should farmers bother to move away from battery cages if they can legally sell their eggs?

"Commissioner Dalli's plan means that illegal battery cages will continue to be used in some EU countries for many years to come as farmers will have little incentive to stop using battery cages.

"The Commission should drop this plan to legalise the use of illegally produced battery eggs, as it will seriously weaken the ban on battery cages leaving millions of hens across Europe to suffer in this inhumane system."

Peter Stevenson also slammed the Commission’s dalliance over animal welfare legislation which is set to come into force in 2013. A ban on restrictive stall, which are already illegal in the UK, will come into force from January 2013, but a 2008 investigation, carried out by Compassion, revealed widespread flouting of the European Pig Directive in pig farms throughout the EU. Stevenson said not enough has been done to enforce welfare legislation and, with the 2012 and 2013 landmark laws coming in, the Commission needs to show it is prepared to deal with those who flout the law.