Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Nickbat on 13 April 2011, 21:50:18
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I tend to buy free range eggs, as I think they taste better and it is clearly better for hens to roam freely. However, what I didn't know is that, from next January, the EU's Laying Hens Directive will mean that 100m hens will have to go, and also that the egg market will then suffer a shortfall of 83m eggs per day. Since I can see no reason to expect that demand to fall, will countries be forced to import eggs from outside the EU (and probably battery farmed)?
I think it would be much better to have a gradual move from battery to free range, rather than hitting the market in this way. Of course, the price of eggs will rocket and, as well as being a foodstuff in their own right, eggs play a major part in UK food production - so price increases will be far more widespread.
I'm not sure that they've thought this through carefully. Actually, being the EU, I'm sure they haven't. ;)
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There was a thing on Countryfile about this sometime ago....
Many British farmers have been spending thousands upgrading their sheds and facilities to comply with the new EU regulations and many are leaving the industry unable or unwilling to spend the money to comply......
I wonder what egg farmers in other parts of Europe make of it all, turn a blind eye and it's business as usual I suspect!! >:(
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(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/adam5172/battery_hen.jpg)
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..and there was me hoping for a sensible discussion.
Ho, hum, such is life... ::) ::)
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
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£1 for 6 for free range near us
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..and there was me hoping for a sensible discussion.
Ho, hum, such is life... ::) ::)
nick no disrespect it is only a pic and too be honest if all youve got on your mind is a shortfall on eggs the sorry you need to get out more as i say dont take my comment the wrong way :y
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
Not really, this is a small primary school selling free range eggs dirt cheap, of course there is a waiting list, but not egg shortage, jut pop to the local shop or farm for free range eggs... :y I have a friend who lives near a battery farm, he gets trays of eggs for nothing such is the surplus of battery eggs, there is a move away from them.... :)
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
well i think it's serious at a time when fuel is going through the roof they're taking awy 83m eggs from the market which will lead to shrtages a rise in cost if these eggs need to be imported by road and when you eat have a think about how many things have eggs in them at the restaurant i work in we use approx 1000 eggs per week and we're not a greasy spoon!! so along with fuel going up alot of food prices will go up as well..... but if you don'T think that's serious ::) ;)
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
If that were to be true think of the increased cost of my omelet... :'( and eggs are part of a staple diet and are in many food products which would increas in price...
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(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/adam5172/battery_hen.jpg)
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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..and there was me hoping for a sensible discussion.
Ho, hum, such is life... ::) ::)
nick no disrespect it is only a pic and too be honest if all youve got on your mind is a shortfall on eggs the sorry you need to get out more as i say dont take my comment the wrong way :y
I don't take the comment the wrong way, Millwall, and I'm always up for a laugh. The problem that I have with the forum sometimes is that a discussion is side-tracked into general banter and the original topic gets overlooked. No offence taken, mate. Maybe I was bit too touchy; I'm a bit worn-out tonight. ;) :y
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
Take a look at the ingredients of many of the groceries you buy and you'd be surprised at just how many contain eggs. 83m/day is a lot of eggs andthey would have to come from somewhere. :o
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
Take a look at the ingredients of many of the groceries you buy and you'd be surprised at just how many contain eggs. 83m/day is a lot of eggs andthey would have to come from somewhere. :o
fair comment nick to be honest i didnt really give it much thought before posting very true though eggs are used in a fair bit of food and prices will rise yet again we are being shafted by the eu >:(
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
Take a look at the ingredients of many of the groceries you buy and you'd be surprised at just how many contain eggs. 83m/day is a lot of eggs andthey would have to come from somewhere. :o
Probably from 83 m chickens at a guess ... :)
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Little Miss Vamps school sell eggs, they have their own hens and the eggs are only 50p for half a dozen, there is a waiting list.... :D :D
We live in a quite rural location and there are lots of sources of local free range eggs at a fair price, though dearer than the supermarket battery eggs.. :y
Therein lies the problem. A potential shortfall of 83m eggs/day is rather serious, IMHO. :(
you are joking surely how is it rather serious?
Take a look at the ingredients of many of the groceries you buy and you'd be surprised at just how many contain eggs. 83m/day is a lot of eggs andthey would have to come from somewhere. :o
Probably from 83 m chickens at a guess ... :)
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :y
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Yes, it may seem a trivial subject - even comedic - until you consider the true amount of 83 million eggs per day. Eggs are used in so many different foodstuffs, from confectionery, cakes & baking, through to sauces like mayonaisse.
Just sayin'. ;)
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Battery farming is cruel - I am glad to see the end of it
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Battery farming is cruel - I am glad to see the end of it
i'm always astonished that so many people, given the choice, would rather save a couple of pence at the expense of the welfare of the chickens that gave them their eggs - humans eh - couldnt give a flying fek about anyone but themselves :(
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Yes, I agree that trying to improve the welfare of animals used in this and other like industries is a good thing – indeed, on the basis of humane concern for those animals above all else - but like so much of the output from the EU where the application of proposed legislation is concerned....
16.These options for enforcement are currently being considered by the Commission. The Commission agreed to continue the dialogue with Competent Authorities and all the sectors concerned in order to ensure the proper enforcement of the legislation. Four working groups have also been convened to continue the discussion on this issue with Member States and interested parties.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmenvfru/writev/egg/egg19.htm
....there seems to be a cost in terms of yet more bureaucracy to bolster the already bloated EU super-state.
Is it any wonder why our financial contributions to this legislative behemoth will have to rise in the coming months?
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I must admit, we moved away from battery eggs a long time ago... Luckily, unless you want to buy cheap ones, we have a farm shop about 10 miles away, where we do all our veg shopping, who sell free range eggs cheap enough ;)
TBH, we now use the farm shop for all the veg and eggs, a local butcher for all the meat and only visit the supermarket for tins (etc) and emergencies. Even started using the milkman for some of our stuff because he's cheaper than Tesco ::) The meat and veg, although slightly more expensive than buying from Tesco, is better quality and doesn't go off within a few days ::) Plus, a lot of the veg is locally grown :y :y
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Battery farming is cruel - I am glad to see the end of it
i'm always astonished that so many people, given the choice, would rather save a couple of pence at the expense of the welfare of the chickens that gave them their eggs - humans eh - couldnt give a flying blank about anyone but themselves :(
I feel the same way about the cheap chickens available at supermarkets >:( >:(
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We were so disgusted with the conditions that battery hens are kept in, and seem not much better with the new legistration that we only bought Free Range, but the description applied to eggs are dubious ( Caged, Barn, Free Range). The age of the eggs is also suspect.
The solution was to keep three hens, they are well cared for, fed on quality pellets, and corn, plus they get the veggie scraps. They are able to free range in the part of the garden, are a delight to watch with their antics, and easy to look after.
We are rewarded with three fresh eggs every day, which look, and taste better than any you buy. :y :y
Daz knows ;D ;D
We do sell any surplus to friends at £1 a half dozen, which hardly covers tha cost of the straw, but it is better than having excess. ;)
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I agree with what people say about battery farming; indeed, I made that plain in my first post. But the fact remains that we face a large shortfall of eggs and the question is where will that shortfall be made up from? My gut feeling is that egges will be imported either from outside the EU, where no laws exist with regard to hen welfare, or from those countries within the EU that ignore the ruling. Potentially, therefore, 100m hens get slaughtered, but battery farming continues - even expands - elsewhere. The problem isn't eradicated, just moved elsewhere - to our cost. That's what I mean about "not thought through".
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I said to my missus "Jeez, they'll talk about anything on this forum, it'll be the price of eggs next........" ;D ;D ;D
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I agree with what people say about battery farming; indeed, I made that plain in my first post. But the fact remains that we face a large shortfall of eggs and the question is where will that shortfall be made up from? My gut feeling is that egges will be imported either from outside the EU, where no laws exist with regard to hen welfare, or from those countries within the EU that ignore the ruling. Potentially, therefore, 100m hens get slaughtered, but battery farming continues - even expands - elsewhere. The problem isn't eradicated, just moved elsewhere - to our cost. That's what I mean about "not thought through".
I agree with you, we could always ban imported eggs, OOPS part of the EU we can't :( :(
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This is a fundamental problem with all EU meddling that they just don't appear to understand.
As much as they try to stifle "bad " things in the EU, all that actually do is stifle commerce in the EU, upset the balance of trade and move the problem elsewhere in the world.
It's exactly the same with CO2 emissions, etc.. Tax emissions in the EU without controlling imports and the energy-heavy industries just move to China, etc. where they can't build fossil fuelled power stations fast enough. ::)
The EU is just one big self-licking lollipop.
Kevin
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We were so disgusted with the conditions that battery hens are kept in, and seem not much better with the new legistration that we only bought Free Range, but the description applied to eggs are dubious ( Caged, Barn, Free Range). The age of the eggs is also suspect.
The solution was to keep three hens, they are well cared for, fed on quality pellets, and corn, plus they get the veggie scraps. They are able to free range in the part of the garden, are a delight to watch with their antics, and easy to look after.
We are rewarded with three fresh eggs every day, which look, and taste better than any you buy. :y :y
Daz knows ;D ;D
We do sell any surplus to friends at £1 a half dozen, which hardly covers tha cost of the straw, but it is better than having excess. ;)
Sue wants to get chickens!
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We were so disgusted with the conditions that battery hens are kept in, and seem not much better with the new legistration that we only bought Free Range, but the description applied to eggs are dubious ( Caged, Barn, Free Range). The age of the eggs is also suspect.
The solution was to keep three hens, they are well cared for, fed on quality pellets, and corn, plus they get the veggie scraps. They are able to free range in the part of the garden, are a delight to watch with their antics, and easy to look after.
We are rewarded with three fresh eggs every day, which look, and taste better than any you buy. :y :y
Daz knows ;D ;D
We do sell any surplus to friends at £1 a half dozen, which hardly covers tha cost of the straw, but it is better than having excess. ;)
Sue wants to get chickens!
Here's a decent forum to lurk around to get some ideas
http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/. :y
PM me with any questions you may have ;)
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For me, I dont really worry about the farming methods but I did notice that the cost of eggs has doubled in the last 2 years.
I do try to buy localy though so there is an opportunity for farmers.
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We were so disgusted with the conditions that battery hens are kept in, and seem not much better with the new legistration that we only bought Free Range, but the description applied to eggs are dubious ( Caged, Barn, Free Range). The age of the eggs is also suspect.
The solution was to keep three hens, they are well cared for, fed on quality pellets, and corn, plus they get the veggie scraps. They are able to free range in the part of the garden, are a delight to watch with their antics, and easy to look after.
We are rewarded with three fresh eggs every day, which look, and taste better than any you buy. :y :y
Daz knows ;D ;D
We do sell any surplus to friends at £1 a half dozen, which hardly covers tha cost of the straw, but it is better than having excess. ;)
Sue wants to get chickens!
I've visited 2 friends / relatives in the last week or so who have started keeping chickens. Both said they don't get round to eating all the eggs and give them away. ;D They both said they make good pets, though.
There is an old chap in our village who has a huge field full of chickens. No battery farming there. Always has an honesty box and a shedload of eggs outside. :y
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As long as I can get 16 eggs for £1.60 odd I pay at the moment, I'm not fussed!
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As long as I can get 16 eggs for £1.60 odd I pay at the moment, I'm not fussed!
And with all due respect this is the problem people don't care. I am certainly not into animal rights, but I do have some respect for them, how would you like to live in an unatural enviroment, and live in a cage. >:(
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As long as I can get 16 eggs for £1.60 odd I pay at the moment, I'm not fussed!
And with all due respect this is the problem people don't care. I am certainly not into animal rights, but I do have some respect for them, how would you like to live in an unatural enviroment, and live in a cage. >:(
You mean like a Romanian orphan?
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As long as I can get 16 eggs for £1.60 odd I pay at the moment, I'm not fussed!
And with all due respect this is the problem people don't care. I am certainly not into animal rights, but I do have some respect for them, how would you like to live in an unatural enviroment, and live in a cage. >:(
There are far, far worse things happening in the world. Libya, Afghanistan, Robert Gabriel Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Japan Earth Quake, Ivory Coast massacre's
From Foie gras, to boiling crabs alive for food & electrocuting cattle, battery hens don't really feature that high.
Take battery farmed salmon, its basically same principle, don't here much of that?
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how would you like to live in an unatural enviroment, and live in a cage. >:(
we call them "call centres"
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Funnily enough I don't give two poos about the countries you mention, I care about Japan but there isn't anything I can about it. Personally I would nuke the others you mention ... no problem. ::) ::)
What I can is do something about is animal wellfare, in the small way I can.
Foie Gras I won't touch, neither farmed Salmon, or Tuna, only line caught for me. Lobster, and Crabs can now be humanly killed by electocution, and I ask in a restaraunt how they dispatch them. Cattle are stunned with a bolt gun before bleeding, sheep, and pigs are electocuted before bleeding. Halal is inhumane but our supermarkets, and food chains pander to Muslims in a Christian contry. >:(
Chickens are due the same respect as any other animal.
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how would you like to live in an unatural enviroment, and live in a cage. >:(
we call them "call centres"
So my son tells me ;D ;D
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how would you like to live in an unatural enviroment, and live in a cage. >:(
we call them "call centres"
;D ;D ;D Splendid. ;D
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I wouldn't mind having a chicken or two about the place but I'm not sure how the resident cats would react - in addition, I get quite a few visitor cats from the surrounding farms.
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I wouldn't mind having a chicken or two about the place but I'm not sure how the resident cats would react - in addition, I get quite a few visitor cats from the surrounding farms.
The cats never bother ours I think the chickens are too big for them. Foxes can be a problem it's just a case of making their run vermin proof. The labs get along fine with the birds, and don't forget there are plenty of feral cats around farms that don't bother the chooks.
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When I went to buy my Shovitt HS (many years ago) they owners father was a chicken farmer. They took me for a look around the huge sheds where the chickens were kept.
There were 4 or 5 of these sheds with (iirc ) approx 100,000 chickens in each one. They were in cages so small, they couldnt even turn around. They looked in an awful, miserable state, and although I wasnt an animal rights activist, I was pretty stunned and sickened by the sight od the poor creatures.
I have been anti battery farming ever since. Living in a rural area we only have to travel a mile. at most, to buy free range eggs and put the money in the honesty box - thankfully.
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Interesting thread. As Nick keeps pointing out , the thread keeps deviating off the original subject!
It is nice to see a few folk interested in the welfare of animals. To me it is absolutely gross what we have done in the interests of "efficiency" to animals. Sadly most folk live in their own form of battery existence and either don't give a damn or don't even know where and how food is produced.
The humble cow is a good example of how we have lost the plot. They now through breeding, produce so much milk each day that they can hardly walk so best to keep them indoors (and that is in Britain with its lush grass!). Their lives are shortened by the demands placed upon them. Then the farmer gets so little money for the milk that they might as well give up. The supermarkets however make a good profit as usual on any farm produce.
We keep chickens that free range and the eggs taste superb. The only problem we find is from freking, freking dogs.We have had maybe 2 dozen killed in the last 3 years.
back on topic. There was plenty of notice of the forthcoming changes. What do we do? Sit back and let the industry descend into deeper hell holes in animal welfare (like feeding ground up animals to cows in their feed - we all know where that end CJD). The blame that ought to be apportioned in my view is that producers ought to have had some form of EU grants to move over to better production.
IMO by the way, the new welfare of intensive chickens is still WAY to poor. They are creatures that need to scratch in the ground, take a dustbath etc. Just making the cages a bit bigger isn't much to trumpet about. :'( :'(