A review focused on ending unfair practices in the egg supply chain has been launched today (31 October), the Government has announced.
Delivering on a commitment made in May this year by the Prime Minister at the Farm to Fork summit in Downing Street, the review will seek input from industry stakeholders on issues such as transparency, clarity of contractual terms and conditions, and data from the supply chain.
It follows a series of global challenges experienced by the egg sector, including increased energy and feed costs, which have raised questions about the fairness of the supply chain. In turn, creating fairer supply chains will help to ensure that producers can operate with greater confidence and protect consumers' access to high-welfare British eggs.
This builds upon the work already underway to improve fairness in the pork and dairy supply chains, with a further review into the horticulture supply chain planned later this year.
Food and Farming Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
Producers should be paid a fair price for their high-quality produce, which is why we are committed to ensure there is fairness across food supply chains.
At the Farm to Fork summit in May, the government pledged to support the farmers by undertaking a review into the egg sector to ensure fairness moving forward. I would now encourage all stakeholders from across the industry to take part in this review to ensure their voices are heard.
British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) CEO Robert Gooch said:
BFREPA has been calling for a review of egg supply agreements for producers for some time and welcomes this consultation on fairness in the egg supply chain.
The consultation on the workings of the egg supply chain is needed to provide further stability for the sector and to ensure that there is no repeat of egg shortages in the future.
British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) Deputy Chief Executive Gary Ford said:
The BEIC welcomes the supply chain fairness review and will be promoting the consultation to all stakeholders in the supply chain.
The review will focus on understanding how the contractual arrangements within the sector currently function, and whether there is the need for further legislation to oversee the relationship between producers and buys where necessary and facilitate a fairer and more transparent supply chain.
The views of egg producers, packers, processors, retailers and other stakeholders involved in the egg supply chain will be considered as part of the review which will run until 22 December.
The Government is already taking action to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy supply chains.
Earlier this year, the Government outlined more detail on regulations which will ensure supply contracts in the dairy sector are fair and transparent, with farmers being paid a fair price for their produce.
It has also committed to introducing similar regulations for the pork sector, including written contracts and regulations to collect and share more supply chain data to reduce ambiguity in the sector.
