Written question asked by Baroness Byford (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Thursday, 29 March 2007.

Food: Eggs

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to stop imported eggs which are not free range being sold as free range eggs.

Answer: All eggs, except those sold at the farm gate to the final consumer, must be stamped with a code that identifies the method of production (that is, organic, free range, barn or eggs from caged hens), country of origin, and producer identification. In the case of eggs from third countries, it may be possible to use the term ““farming method not specified”” where equivalence has not been established by the EC. In November 2006, Defra called on the egg industry and retailers to ensure that the eggs theyare selling are correctly labelled. This followed investigations by Defra into the alleged illegal practice in the egg industry involving the incorrect labelling of eggs, including the labelling of non-free range as free range. This investigation is aimed at stopping fraud that misleads the consumer and can be damaging to the egg industry. Two people have been arrested as a result of these investigations and this is now a matter for the police.

Secondary information