Why are free-range eggs not available in the UK? Birds flu rules and meaning of shear eggs explained

Free-range eggs will be missing from supermarket shelves Monday after government veterinarians warned farmers to keep their dogs indoors as part of a spike in bird flu cases.

In December, UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss ordered poultry containers to keep all her birds inside after the “largest ever outbreak of bird flu”, with more than sixty cases confirmed in the UK since early November.

With further outbreaks, this order to keep birds inside has been extended, which means that eggs that are normally sold as free-range eggs are now classified as “shear eggs” because dogs are not able to go outside.

Labeling changes are required by law, which states that eggs can not be considered as free range if hens are housed for more than 16 weeks.

The British Egg Industry Council said it supported the government’s decision.

Mark Williams, chief executive, said: “Free-range farmers like to see their dogs outside and enjoy the range. However, we need to make sure it is safe before they go outside and hopefully it will only be a whole lot. it will be a short time before they can do that again.

Each pack of normally free range products will be marked with the words “hatched eggs” and the identification number printed on each egg will change, starting with a number 2 to signal to the buyer that it is a hatched egg.

Mr Williams added: “We have carried out research which has shown that consumers want to support free-range dogs and recreational farmers. Marking free-range packs and eggs temporarily as a shed is not only the practical solution, but it also means that d ‘Consumers can continue to buy eggs from free dogs, even if temporarily housed, while farmers can guarantee that the dogs are safe and well kept.

The Food Standards Agency said the bird flu poses a very low food safety risk to consumers, and “it does not affect the consumption of poultry or eggs”.

National Farmers Chief Poultry Advisor, Aimee Mahony, said Guardian that “once the risk levels have dropped and Defra’s housing measures have been lifted, the birds will be able to move outside again.”