I do wonder how often 'regulations' are blamed for things that are a consumer issue.
The consumers buy what they are given. extra large misshaped eggs would sell like hot cakes if they where presented. But the supermarkets want a uniform product that stacks neatly on the shelf.
They are still blaming 'rules' but saying industry not DEFRA.
There is nothing stopping them keeping the birds till they drop dead from exhaustion AFAIA other than economics.
What a load of absolute rubbish - I have been doing this job long enough to know that this scenario only exists on River Cottage. Supermarkets are the masters of providing people with what they want, when they want it, and that includes eggs that aren't broken when you get them home. If it was a simple as offering something and people would buy it then they wouldn't do it.
This is just a ploy to get sympathy in order to offload the birds & it seems to have worked.
Yep.
Chicken & egg Rob. An egg farmer here in Cornwall can't sell his extra large eggs because they don't fit in the standard size egg boxes. He sells them by the tray to locals & they sell fast. It's the supermarkets that don't want them not the consumers.
If supermarkets sold the misshaped eggs as novelty they would sell at a premium.
The only ones they can't sell by law are the broken & soft shells which have always gone to the liquid egg market for processed foods.
& obviously as birds get older they lay more of those.
So the egg farmer is keeping his birds for multiple lays to harvest more of the premium eggs?
The supermarkets sell what sells, they have very sophisicated computer systems that match supply & logistics to sales. They're not going to pass up a premium market on oddball eggs without good reason and their buying power allows them to commission packaging to suit, if that was a thing, they'd do it.
Tavascarow
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 8407 Location: South Cornwall
So the egg farmer is keeping his birds for multiple lays to harvest more of the premium eggs?
I haven't asked him but I doubt it. He might get more extra large eggs if he keeps his birds into a second lay, but he will also get fewer eggs overall & more soft shells as well.
Supermarkets are all about bulk, they aren't interested in novelty or small quantities.
They want uniformity, standardisation.
If they had their way their would only be one size of egg, one colour & one type because it's easier for them that way.
& easier means more profit.
It's got bugger all to do with DEFRA just the industry standard.
They are 20 to 26 weeks before they start laying & they keep them for about 50 weeks.
Egg quality does suffer after that but only shell, size & numbers.
It's pure economics not government regulation & they are deflecting that by trying to blame a non existent regulation.
Heard them on BBC local radio today, apart from annoyingly billing it as a chicken 'giveaway' they were very clear that it was because the packers didn't want the higher level of breakages that affects hygiene, costs and presentation.
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