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Is this true?
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Jools



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales
PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 15 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Tavascarow wrote:
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.


That's what I thought. Trying to make themselves sound good, I guess.

I'm not looking for more chickens myself, but it popped up in my Twitter feed and as I'd never heard of that Defra ruling, thought I'd ask here.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Having been interviewed by newspapers before and finding what I was quoted as saying and what I actually said to be two different things, I think it best if you contact them directly to confirm this information.

Jools



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's now made the news on the Beeb.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-33457704

Nicky cigreen



Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Jools wrote:
It's now made the news on the Beeb.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-33457704


no mention of Defra in the beeb article.

Jools



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 2:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

No, the Beeb article says that it's because of the packing plant.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I do wonder how often 'regulations' are blamed for things that are a consumer issue.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rob R wrote:
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.
This is just a ploy to get sympathy in order to offload the birds & it seems to have worked.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 5:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Tavascarow wrote:
Rob R wrote:
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.

Tavascarow wrote:
This is just a ploy to get sympathy in order to offload the birds & it seems to have worked.


Yep.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rob R wrote:
Tavascarow wrote:
Rob R wrote:
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.

Tavascarow wrote:
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.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Tavascarow wrote:
Rob R wrote:
Tavascarow wrote:
Rob R wrote:
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.

Tavascarow wrote:
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
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rob R wrote:


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.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Exactly. Easier means more profit, and it's easier because (the majority of) people want them!

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 10:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The Majority of people want extra large,Real Free Range eggs at the price of the smallest battery eggs.

Lloyd



Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 15 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Tavascarow wrote:
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.





This.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 15 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

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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