Call for ban on battery eggs for public bodies

Ministers were today urged to ban public bodies from buying and serving battery eggs in canteens.

Labour former minister Chris Mullin said schools, hospitals and local councils should follow the example of consumers and switch to free range eggs in an effort to drive up animal welfare standards.

Environment minister Jim Fitzpatrick said the Government intended to improve standards in the public sector on a voluntary basis.

In a Westminster Hall debate, Mr Mullin said: "I call on the Government to introduce legislation that will prohibit the public sector from buying eggs produced by caged hens and encourage the purchase of eggs produced to higher animal welfare standards."

This would progress on a sliding scale from barn eggs, to free range to organic and include eggs purchased individually as well as those used as ingredients.

He said that "fine words and lofty sentiments are not enough" and the Government should introduce mandatory health and sustainability standards for all public sector food.

"In a nutshell, a Government commitment to purchase only free range eggs would improve animal welfare, support British farmers, and not increase costs.

"That can be achieved only with mandatory standards, not by yet another voluntary initiative.

"It would command great public support and bring public sector food into line with the food that people generally consume at home."

So far only about 40 local authorities have followed Lancashire County Council in going cage-free on a voluntary basis, Mr Mullin said.

"British egg producers should be rewarded for high-quality eggs reared to high animal welfare standards.

"A ban on caged eggs in the public sector would be a huge boost for the British egg industry because their supply is more easily available and cheaper when sourced in the UK.

"We should not forget that there are still more than 300 million laying hens in Europe, more than two thirds of which are housed in battery cages.

"Without mandatory standards, a cheap and tempting alternative market exists for public sector caterers who want to continue bumping along the bottom."

Mr Mullin said that while he had focused on eggs "the argument could equally apply to pork or any one of a number of factory farmed products".

An EU-wide ban on battery-farmed eggs is due to come into force in 2012.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the Government was attempting to "drive up standards by means of the carrot and the stick - through voluntary as well as legislative measures".

The "healthier food mark", which calls for produce to be farm assured as a minimum welfare standard and could potentially be extended to ban eggs from conventional cages, will be voluntary initially, but will be reviewed in 2012 to see whether it should be mandatory.

He added that caterers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had already switched to free-range eggs and UK-sourced meat.

"No legislation compelled them to do that. I am talking about a private sector catering contractor that is making a judgment based on what it thinks the consumer wants.

"It believes that by doing what the consumer wants, it will sell more of its products, thus making its business more efficient."