§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she next intends to meet representatives of the British Egg Industry Council to discuss the future viability of the UK egg production industry. [46393]
Mr. Morley: I will next be meeting representatives of the British Egg Industry Council on 15 April 2002
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of total domestic egg sales is achieved through(a)retail, (b)catering and (c)processing/manufacturing; what percentage of total egg sales volume was organic; and what percentage of total UK egg production by volume was (i) cage, (ii) barn and (iii) free range in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [46391]
§ Mr. MorleyOfficial figures are not available at the level of detail requested.
The provisional figure for UK production of eggs for human consumption in 2001 was 803 million dozen; of which 17 per cent. were bought by UK egg processors for breaking; around 50 per cent. were sold through retailers (based on National Food survey estimates for 2000); with the remainder to other processing, i.e. hard boiling, manufacturing, catering and other.
Official figures are not available on the percentage of total organic egg sales by volume. However, using the farmgate value of organic eggs in 1999–2000 from the Soil Association Organic Food and Farming Report, the percentage of egg sales by value is estimated to be about 5 per cent.
In 2001 UK egg production by volume was split as follows:
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- laying cages—72 per cent.
- barn—5 per cent.
- free range—23 per cent.
The methodology used to calculate this split by production system is being updated with a view to publishing revised figures in the Summer.