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.
ENDSNotes to Editor:
