LABELLING OF SHELL EGGS PRODUCED BY HENS IN ENRICHED CAGE SYSTEMS

That this House believes that all eggs produced by hens in enriched cage systems should be labelled to differentiate them from eggs produced by other production systems; welcomes the progress being made to improve the welfare of egg laying hens through EU Directive 99/74/EC, banning the conventional battery cage from the EU by 2012, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' support for the introduction in EU marketing regulations of a code 4 for eggs produced by hens housed in enriched systems; notes that a significant proportion of UK farmers have invested in improved enriched cage production systems; and calls on the Government to introduce a code 4 to distinguish eggs produced by hens housed in enriched systems from those housed in conventional battery cages outside of the EU, to assist UK farmers.