§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration has been given to the marketing of eggs produced in the United Kingdom with a British produce label.
Imports of eggs into United Kingdom (metric tonnes) November 1991 December 1991 January 1992 February 1992 March 1992 April 1992 May 1992 June 1992 July 1992 August 1992 September 1992 October 1992 France 414 392 182 140 235 178 235 159 155 271 205 147 Belgium-Luxembourg 210 201 65 140 190 228 251 103 119 118 106 104 Netherlands 2,191 1,788 722 596 1,524 1,448 1,240 1,059 634 1,304 1,153 510 Germany 294 236 162 230 422 186 336 475 338 270 354 496 Italy 8 12 17 10 25 8 11 7 7 8 7 — Irish Republic 36 38 63 76 52 43 49 45 47 41 46 55 Denmark 118 178 206 122 262 141 192 331 149 106 102 120 Spain — — — — — — 1 1 5 — — — Sweden 3 4 — 3 4 4 3 — — 3 2 2 Canada — — — — — — — — — — — 18 United States of America 13 3 14 1 17 29 29 17 5 1 14 15 South Africa — — — — — — — — 0 — — — Namibia — — — — — 0 — — — — — — Taiwan — — — — — — — — 1 — — — Japan — 0 — — — — — — — — — — All imports 3,287 2,852 1,431 1,318 2,731 2,265 2,347 2,197 1,460 2,122 1,989 1,467 Note:
— = No trade.
0 = Low value trade (less than 0.5 metric tonnes).
Source: HM Customs and Excise.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks exist to ensure that imported eggs sold in the United Kingdom in pre-labelled packaging meet United Kingdom standards of size and quality marking.
§ Mr. CurryQuality and size standards for eggs are laid down in the EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations. These require all eggs, including eggs imported from other member states, to be subject to checking by means of random sampling at all stages of marketing. These checks are carried out by the egg marketing inspectorate in England and Wales and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland or, at retail, by the trading standards departments of local authorities. Eggs imported from the Netherlands would also be subject to inspection by the Dutch authorities.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to ensure that imported eggs into the United Kingdom are not sold as fresh farm eggs.
286W
§ Mr. CurryThere is specific provision in the EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations for eggs and egg packs to carry terms or symbols which refer to a member state or a region of origin. It is for individual egg packers and retailers to decide whether to mark their eggs as British, but many of them do.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total volume of eggs imported into the United Kingdom in each of the last 12 months; and from which countries.
§ Mr. CurryThe volume, in metric tonnes, of eggs, including eggs not in shells, imported into the United Kingdom is shown on the table by country of dispatch. Figures are given for the months November 1991 to October 1992, the most recent 12 months for which data are available.
§ Mr. CurryEggs can be sold at retail as "farm fresh" only if they meet the standards for class A eggs laid down by the EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations. Compliance with the standards is checked by the egg marketing inspectorate in England and Wales and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland and, at retail, by the trading standards departments of local authorities. These arrangements apply to both home-produced and imported eggs.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to ensure that eggs from egg sale co-operatives in Holland are not being dumped on the United Kingdom market; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryA small proportion of eggs sold and processed in the United Kingdom come from other member states and they are generally priced competitively. There is no evidence that any significant volume of eggs is being imported at very low prices.