Last reviewed: · Not legal advice
The 2012 legaleggs.com pledge: a short history
In early 2012 this domain hosted a UK campaign pledge connected to the EU battery-cage ban. The campaign ended long ago, and the current site has no connection with it. This page records what was reported about it at the time. No pledges are collected here.
What the pledge was
On 27 February 2012, The Poultry Site and the British egg-information site egginfo.co.uk reported that more than 5,000 people had pledged their support on legaleggs.com “to support the fight to keep eggs and egg products produced from illegal cages out of the UK” (The Poultry Site; egginfo). WATTAgNet reported that the site had been launched by the organizers of the UK’s Lion Quality mark (WATTAgNet).
The context
The pledge followed the EU Directive under which egg production from hens in barren battery cages had been banned since 1 January 2012. The reports noted that British Lion producers had already upgraded their systems, so British Lion cage eggs met the Directive’s requirements, while illegal battery-cage eggs were still being produced in several countries on the Continent (The Poultry Site). For the law itself, see EU legislation; for the enforcement problem, see why illegal-cage eggs were a concern.
The retail side
The pledge came after months of public commitments from government and retailers. In November 2011 the UK minister Jim Paice welcomed a British Retail Consortium commitment that major retailers would source cage-produced shell eggs and own-label products from the new enriched cage system, and warned that companies using eggs from conventional battery cages after 1 January 2012 would breach the law (FarmingUK). The British Egg Industry Council separately challenged the government’s refusal to ban imports of illegal-cage eggs (British Baker).
Who was quoted
Andrew Parker, then chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, was quoted as saying: “There is now a huge amount of awareness and support for British egg producers,” adding that he expected the number of pledges to rise (WATTAgNet).
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 19 July 1999 | Council Directive 1999/74/EC adopted |
| 7 Nov. 2011 | UK farm minister Jim Paice pledges government support against the use of illegal eggs (FarmingUK) |
| 1 Jan. 2012 | Ban on rearing hens in unenriched cages takes effect |
| Jan. 2012 | British Egg Industry Council challenges the government’s refusal to ban imports of illegal-cage eggs (British Baker) |
| 26 Jan. 2012 | European Commission sends letters of formal notice to 13 member states (The Poultry Site) |
| 27 Feb. 2012 | More than 5,000 pledges reported on legaleggs.com (The Poultry Site) |
| April 2013 | Commission refers Greece and Italy to the EU Court of Justice (The Poultry Site) |
What was not reported
The contemporary reports do not give the exact wording of the pledge, a final total of signatures, or a list of signatories, so none is given here.
About this domain now
The domain now hosts an independent explainer of egg-labeling and hen-housing law aimed mainly at US shoppers. It is not affiliated with the 2012 campaign, the British Egg Industry Council or the Lion Quality scheme. See About.
Sources
- The Poultry Site, "Thousands Sign Legaleggs.com Pledge" (Feb. 27, 2012)
- egginfo.co.uk, "Thousands sign legaleggs.com pledge" (Feb. 27, 2012)
- WATTAgNet, "UK egg industry launches site to support local producers" (Feb. 27, 2012)
- FarmingUK, "Paice pledges support for egg industry" (Nov. 8, 2011)
- British Baker (bakeryinfo.co.uk), "Egg council to launch judicial review" (Jan. 4, 2012)
- The Poultry Site, "Commission Refers Greece, Italy to Court over Cage Ban Failure" (April 26, 2013)