In November, the EU regulation on marketing standards for eggs will come into force. According to it, egg labeling will take place in production plants, i.e. on farms, and not in packing plants.
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EU regulations on changing egg labelling will cause their prices to rise
New regulations will lead to the loss of most export markets
As Paweł Podstawka, chairman of the National Federation of Poultry Breeders and Egg Producers, said in an interview with wgospodarce.pl , the said change will lead to a significant deterioration in the situation of poultry producers, including the loss of most export markets.
– Individual retail chains or exporters require different prints, for example Israel does not want any markings at all. On the other hand, some large retailers want the date of packaging or the name of the store to be additionally visible on the shell. It is easy to imagine a situation where a manufacturer delivers goods with its own veterinary identification number to a packaging company, and in order to be able to export these products, the company has to print additional information on the shells – said Podstawka, quoted by wgospodarce.pl.
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ATM. The number of poultry exporters from Ukraine has increased from one to ten
Huge cost increase
He also pointed out that adapting to the new regulations will require huge investments by poultry producers.
– It will be necessary to allocate additional space and install an egg marking printer at each hen house. These are expenses for each company ranging from several hundred thousand to several million złoty – he noted.
Podstawka also stated that if the aim of the EC’s actions is full traceability of eggs, the methods currently used by Polish producers already guarantee it.
Most farms will not be able to adapt to the new standards
When asked about a potential collapse in the egg market, the Chairman of KFHDiPJ clearly confirms this possibility.
– This will certainly happen. If this regulation comes into force in its current form, most farms will not be able to adapt to the new standards – he said, quoted by wgospodarce.pl.
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The Ministry of Agriculture could help, but…it doesn’t want to?
As is often the case, the regulations provide for the possibility of allowing an exception to the introduced rule and permitting marking at the first packing plant to which the eggs are delivered. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development does not envisage the establishment of such regulations, as reported by wgospodarce.pl.
– The problem is that the consultations are conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture from a dominant position. On the principle: let's introduce this regulation, we'll see what happens and maybe something will be done. Such exceptions are used in related industries, e.g. in egg production and egg processing. In other countries, similar exclusions function successfully. It could be the same here, but there has to be a will for it, which is lacking – Podstawka explained.
