THE BRITISH EGG INDUSTRY COUNCIL has said it wants to build on egg sales growth seen during the covid-19 pandemic as shoppers get back to work.
Speaking after the BEIC officeholder elections, the organisation’s chairman Andrew Joret said capitalising on demand for eggs and maintaining tariffs at existing levels would be priorities over the next 12 months.
See also: Colony egg prices dip as imports surge
Version 8 of the Lion Code of Practice is also set to launch later this year, which Mr Joret described as “the most comprehensive ever”.
Egg market
“It has been a turbulent few months, with the impact of COVID-19 putting an enormous strain on production with year on year sales up by as much as 30%,” he said.
“The unprecedented egg sales over the past few months show that the UK’s love affair with eggs is as strong as ever and this provides some huge opportunities for the industry to continue to grow the market – there are so many reasons to be optimistic.”
Imports
On trade, Mr Joret said the BEIC had launched and completed a “successful” lobbying campaign to maintain tariffs but warned that more work was needed.
“At a time when imported egg has appeared on supermarket shelves for the first time in decades, and bilateral trade negotiations with the USA and other countries on the horizon, it is vital that the industry continues to lobby Government to ensure import tariffs are neither reduced nor removed,” he said.
Standards
“The BEIC will continue to work to hold the government to its pledge to support the egg industry by not lowering standards.”
Andrew Joret was re-elected chairman of the BEIC, with Oaklands Farm Eggs’ Elwyn Griffiths retaining his post as deputy chairman.
Duncan Priestner and James Baxter are joint BEIC vice-chairmen; Jeffrey Vergerson, BEIC treasurer; with Mark Williams continuing his role as BEIC chief executive and secretary.
