Grace period - Neighbourhood Retailer

Free-range eggs no longer available in UK due to bird flu

Linda Stewart — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 10:15:00 +0000

Customers can no longer buy free-range eggs in the UK due to the length of time hens have been kept indoors following outbreaks of bird flu.

The eggs in shops will now be labelled as “barn eggs” due to birds being kept inside for more than 16 weeks.

The country is experiencing its largest ever outbreak of avian influenza and measures are in place to prevent the virus from spreading.

About 55% of all eggs produced in the UK are free-range, says the RSPCA. It means they come from birds that, during the daytime, enjoy unlimited access to outdoor pastures.

Free-range labelling will only return when hens are permitted to go outside again.

Aimee Mahony, chief poultry adviser at the National Farmers’ Union, said the government’s advice was that there was “still a high level of risk” to birds of catching flu.

“This is an incredibly difficult time for all bird owners and vigilance remains vital,” she added.

Ms Mahony said farmers were following “stringent biosecurity measures” and adapting hen houses to make birds more comfortable.

Both “barn” and “free range” eggs meet the RSPCA’s welfare standards, because the hens that lay them have freedom and space to move around, along with perches for roosting and nest boxes.

The difference is that for barn hens, this all happens inside, whereas free-range hens can access to the outside through “popholes” – although bird flu restrictions have put a stop to this.

The RSPCA says consumers buy more boxes of free range and barn eggs than those from caged hens.

However, the charity says a large proportion of eggs used as ingredients in products like mayonnaise, cakes and sandwiches are still from hens kept in cages.

The bird flu outbreaks have resulted in the government enforcing an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone which made it a legal requirement for all bird keepers across the UK – whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock – to keep them indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures.

Under such restrictions egg farmers have a 16-week “grace period” to maintain their free-range status, but this ended on Monday.

Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, assistant director of food at the British Retail Consortium, said shops and supermarkets would “continue to support British farmers”.

In a statement the government said it would work with farmers and retailers to implement the branding changings.

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There could be trouble ahead – Post-Grace Period Blues

Julie Nash — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 08:39:27 +0000

M&S warn of potential Christmas chaos – NIFDA warn of labour shortages

M&S chairman Archie Norman has warned that Northern Ireland customers will be affected in the run up to Christmas – once the Brexit grace period ends on 30^th September – with less choice and higher prices – while the Northern Ireland Food & drink Association has warned of severe labour shortages in the food processing sector locally.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday M&S chairman Archie Norman said supply chain issues are ‘about to get worse.’

Reduction in food supply

“The result would be substantial reduction in food supply from the UK to Northern Ireland and an increase in prices for its citizens. Already, M&S has had to cancel sales of our Christmas Food to Order, our top-end range service, into Northern Ireland because we just don’t know if we can get it there.”

He also warned of tough decisions to delist product for Northern Ireland because “it’s simply not worth the risk of trying to get it through.”

The combination of the HGV driver shortage and the scale of paperwork required to transport some products from GB to Northern Ireland are making the situation unsustainable – and if M&S is affected, it’s likely that other multiples could be affected.

A fandango of bureaucracy

The M&S chief described the situation as “a fandango of bureaucracy, extra costs and food waste,” indicating that some M&S vehicles travel to ports in GB with 700 pages of documentation, “equivalent to three paperback books” he said.

“This is not a one-way street. At the moment, the Irish Government is following EU guidelines and implementing their draconian controls. But by contrast, the UK has allowed EU products to continue to flow into the country, no veterinary checks, no border inspection.

Mutual act of self-destruction

“Starting in October, that is going to change when UK Government rules are set to mirror those of the EU. So in a mutual act of self-destruction, we risk lumbering French cheese producers and Spanish chorizo manufacturers with the same costs as we have faced trying to export food to the EU” he told the Mail on Sunday, adding that “delays, driver shortages and paper mountains could be spectacular”.

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Logistical nightmares – Tesco prepares for the fall-out when grace period ends

Julie Nash — Fri, 28 May 2021 14:34:46 +0000

Tesco passing the buck to suppliers avoiding Brexit complexities

Tesco is asking suppliers to carry food across the Irish Sea border, to ease the burden of supplying Northern Ireland once full checks begin in October – the end of the curent ‘grace period, according to a report in The Grocer.

Two suppliers said they had been asked by Tesco to start shipping directly from Great Britain into the Republic of Ireland, from where the supermarket will then transport their goods north of the border, according to the report.

Some suppliers are being told they may have to navigate the border themselves – with extensive and cumbersome paperwork required.

Tesco is set to adapt its supply chains, following the post-Brexit border arrangements, which impose checks on goods moving from GB into NI.

The ‘protocol’ is causing a range of headaches for businesses of all sizes – from pharmaceuticals to small deli suppliers.

Even M&S has said that the post-Brexit protocol has increased the cost of supplying Northern Ireland and Ireland has increased by £30m.

The complications will inevitably escalate after the grace period ends in October – hence, Tesco seeking to get ahead of the curve by being prepared.

Tesco says it aims to work with suppliers on the new arrangements.

The reality is that post-October 2021, if new arrangements or adapatations to the protocol are not in place, Northern Ireland is potentially facing a logistical nightmare.

Already there are indications that logistics companies are finding the new arrangements unworkable. Hauliers and logistics companies are working overtime to find ways to address the complexities involved.

Both jurisdictions in Ireland are important to Tesco. Kantar’s recent figures show Tesco topping supermakret share in the Republic of Ireland, and the supermarket is routinely the top performer in Northern Ireland.

While big companies like Tesco have resources to navigate the complexities, the costs could fall on the shoulders of small suppliers – and ultimately, the customer pays the price.

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Supermarkets get a ‘grace period – but Tesco said it’s ‘stockpiling’

Julie Nash — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 16:28:04 +0000

Northern Ireland’s supermarkets will be permitted to keep supplying Northern Ireland shoppers without special Brexit checks that will kick in, deal or no deal, on 1 January.

In a concession by the EU, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Asda and other trusted traders in the food sector will be given a grace period before checks apply.

Tesco had said that it was stockpiling food ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit. It’s chairman John Allan said that import taxes could push up the price of certain cheeses by as much as 40%.

Mr Allan said Tesco was able to stockpile what he called “longer-life food”, but there could be temporary shortages of “short-life fresh foods.

“We are trying to ensure that we have stockpiled as much as we can of long-life products either in our own warehouses or with our suppliers.”

Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the government had heard “loud and clear” the concerns of supermarket firms and that “necessary additional flexibilities” would be made.

Grace period

The so-called grace period will initially be for three months, with six months guaranteed for chilled meat products, he said.

From 1 January, Northern Ireland will stay in the EU single market for goods but the rest of the UK will leave. That means a proportion of food products arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain will need to be checked.

The EU has strict rules on products of ‘animal origin’ – meat, milk, fish and eggs.

These products must enter through a border control post where paperwork is checked and a proportion of goods are physically inspected.

Several supermarket chains had warned the supply of some products from GB to NI could be reduced, due to extra administrative burdens.

Sources said the concession was made as part of a package of arrangements hammered out in the UK-EU joint committee in exchange for the UK dropping its law-breaking Brexit clauses in the internal market and taxation bills.

Belfast office for EU Officials

There has also been a deal allowing 15 EU officials to be permanently based in offices in Belfast to help traders get to grips with the new system and monitor enforcement by UK officials. Their presence represents a U-turn for the government, months after it told Brussels they could not open an office in Belfast.

Michael Gove said the agreement “prevents any disruption at the end of the transition period on the movements of chilled meats”.

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