Presentation to Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, European Parliament on 29 th September...
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Transcript of Presentation to Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, European Parliament on 29 th September...
Presentation to Agriculture and Rural Development Committee,
European Parliament
on 29th September 2010
The EU Egg Industry – Welfare of Laying Hens
EUWEP
2
The Key Issues
• Egg Industry is working hard to meet full requirements of Council Directive 1999/74/EC by 1st January 2012– Legislation must be implemented, whilst avoiding problems
• Major producers most able to meet deadline on ban on Conventional Cages – Smaller producers unlikely to, or leave industry
• EUWEP has real concerns that rate of conversion to either enriched cages or non-cage systems of production is not happening fast enough to ensure full compliance across the EU
• If eggs produced by hens, which continue to be housed in a conventional cage, were precluded from being marketed from 1st January 2012, the result would be a massive egg shortage resulting in a significant increase in egg prices
• Need to ensure orderly move to either enriched systems or non-cage systems, to prevent market distortion
EUWEP
3
Total 354.67 millionhens
Data from 26 member states
154.6m ‘other’ hens not included
EUWEPSource: EUWEP / from DG AGRI data
Updated on 28th May 2010
4
Total 353.53 millionhens
Assumption
- Enriched cage growth to 30m hens
147.6m ‘other’ hens not included
EUWEPSource: EUWEP / from DG AGRI data
Updated on 28th May 2010
5
Total 353.53 millionhens
29% of Laying hens non-compliant on 1st January 2012
Assumptions
- Enriched Cage hen numbers increase to 130m
- Barn increases to 70m hens
- FR increases to 40m hens
Source: EUWEP
EUWEP
Updated on 28th May 2010
6
What is the likely consequence if 29% of EU hens remain in conventional cages on 1st January
2012?• Scenario 1 - Member states enforce legislation
• 83 million egg a day needing to be disposed of …• Leading to … an egg shortage of 83 million eggs a day!
But• this cannot be filled by imports from non-EU countries as currently
only Switzerland, Croatia and Norway authorised to export shell eggs to EU (due to EU’s Salmonella legislation)
• Prices to consumers would increase sharply
• In the medium term, EU production is likely to be replaced by imports of eggs and egg products produced to inferior animal welfare standards
• This would not benefit laying hen welfare, consumers, industry employment, cereal growers, the environment, EU food security, or the wider economy
EUWEP
7
What is the likely consequence if 29% of EU hens remain in conventional cages on 1st January
2012?
• Scenario 2 - If more time is given to convert…
• If member states do not enforce legislation, or more time is allowed to convert from conventional cages …
• Then conventional cage production would continue …
• Causing widespread market disruption, severely affecting the viability of many (compliant) businesses as prices and therefore producer returns are depressed– This would affect producers in all systems of production - Cage,
Barn, Free Range, Organic
• ‘Unfair’ on those producers who have invested
• … A different approach is needed
EUWEP
8
Suggested Approach (1)
• Need to avoid a massive egg shortage in the EU and avoid a significant increase in prices to consumers
• If there are some producers who need additional time to phase-out conventional cages, this should be provided – but, maximum of 1-2 laying flock cycles to encourage early compliance– stocking density in CCs must also be reduced to 750cm² per hen
• During this time there must be an intra-EU trade ban on table eggs (from conventional cages) to prevent those producers who have made the investment from being commercially disadvantaged– In other words, eggs from conventional cages continuing to operate under
this time-limited derogation could only be marketed as table eggs in the member state of production
• A clearly set out plan to convert conventional cages to either enriched cages or non-cage systems must be put in place– Must be approved by the national competent authorities– Strict penalties for non-compliance introduced
EUWEP
9
Suggested Approach (2)
• Enforcement …
• To allow enforcement authorities to differentiate between eggs from enriched cages and conventional cages, eggs from an enriched cage would be marked with a No3 from 1st January 2012 and eggs from a conventional cage would be marked with a No4 or other mark. – All egg marking must take place on the production unit
• Control is vital. Need increase in FVO inspection visits in 2012 to check for compliance– If non-compliance noted, immediate action to be taken
EUWEP
10
Conclusion
• Doing nothing is no longer an option!
• Council/Parliament/Commission must intervene if all laying hens currently housed in conventional cages in the EU are not converted by 1st January 2012– to ensure that EU consumers can continue to be offered affordable,
high quality, safe, EU produced eggs
• EU standards are now among the highest in the world
• Must maintain EU model of production to avoid egg production being ‘exported’ to non-EU countries (and then import eggs and egg products from non-EU countries)
• Commission has been asked to closely monitor the development of egg production systems in each member state up to 2012– Member states must be required to report hen numbers housed in both
‘enriched cages’ and ‘conventional cages’ separately
EUWEP
11
Annex
For background Information
EUWEP
Annex - EU Egg Industry Background (2009p)
• Egg Production (source: EC)– EU – 27 7.427 million tonnes
• System of Production (source: EUWEP estimate) – Conventional cage 62.5%, Enriched cage 8.5%, Free range 9.2%, Barn
17.1%, Organic 2.7%
• Number of Laying Hens (source: EC)– EU–27 354 million (+ 148m ‘other’ hens)
• Egg consumption (EU-27) (source: EC)– 235 eggs/capita/annum, or 14.68 kg/capita/annum
• Exports – 140,000 tonnes (1.9% of production) (source: EC) • Imports – 40,000 tonnes (0.5% of production) (source: EC)
EUWEP
More space per hen, higher cost……. (Source: Van Horne, LEI)
EUWEP
Production cost eggs 2008, EU and non-EU (Eurocent/kg)
1519
10 13 11 11
50
53
37
4038
33
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
NL FR US BR ARG IND
euro
cen
t p
er k
g
manure
electricity
general
housing
labour
other
feed
pullet
(Source: Van Horne, LEI)
EUWEP
EU Import levies on whole egg powder 2008 (Eurocent/kg)
499
341375 353 328
2121
137137
137
21
3
17
137
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
EU ARG USA BR INDIA
cent
per
kg
production cost transport levy on imports
(Source: Van Horne, LEI)
EUWEP
EU Import levies whole egg powder 2012 (Eurocent/kg)
499
341375 353 328
30
--21
137137
137
21
3
2117
137
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
EU ARG USA BR INDIA
cent
per
kg
production cost (excl EU-Directive) cost of EU-Directive transport levy on imports
(Source: Van Horne, LEI)
EUWEP
17
EU Enriched Colony
(Source: Big Dutchman)
EUWEP
Number of EU Laying Hens by System of Production (‘000) (2004 – 2012F)
34.2 m Romanian ‘back-yard’ hens included as FR
Non-compliant hens from 1/1/12
Enriched cage includedfor first time
EUWEPSource: EUWEP / from DG AGRI data
Updated on 28th May 2010