Supermarket giants ASDA have launched a new campaign backing free range egg producers in the UK and asking other British supermarkets, whom it is dubbing the ‘dirty dozen’, to do the same.
All of ASDA’s free range eggs are produced in the UK and display the Lion mark for food safety and welfare standards. This logo acts as a guarantee that all its free range hens have been vaccinated against salmonella, something that cannot be guaranteed on imported eggs according to the company .
ASDA has called upon other supermarkets to not sell ‘lower quality’ imported eggs that do not carry the Lion mark.
The next three years will see the company’s free range eggs being supplied by a group of dedicated farmers as a move that will continue the company’s policy of becoming more eco friendly.
ASDA recently launched a range of eggs called Respectful. These eggs come from hens reared from local chicks, fed on locally milled wheat . The eggs are produced in a low carbon way, all the sheds are powered by solar panels, wind turbines and bio diesel, and are placed on special runners so that the sheds can be easily moved around the free range pastures.
John Widdowson, Vice Chairman of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, John Widdowson said, “We want to see all retailers supporting British free range egg producers. There needs to be a much closer relationship between farmers and retailers to ensure foreign free range eggs are no longer imported to the UK .”
“There is no reason why British farmers can’t supply all of the free range eggs consumers want to buy, but they need supermarkets to invest here in the UK, not abroad .”
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