Free Range or Value eggs?

geordie_joe

Churchmouse wrote: »

The eggs my friend gets are every bit as tasty and lovely as any I buy from Waitrose or M&S or the farmer's market, just a bit cheaper. Do you think this indicates they are free range? I feel happier now, thanks:D

I would say yes. I can certainly tell the difference between free range and battery eggs.

MaximumImpact

Geordie Joe...I am only going on what happened on our farm and as we were inspected on a 3 monthly basis then I suppose we must have been targetted for 4 years. I did spend a great deal of time talking to other battery farmers ( we do all communicate) and they were also inspected 3 monthly...so I suppose we must have been unlucky to have all been targetted so regularly...I am not qualified to discuss all other farms just the ones I know off and thought I would pass on the information and knowledge that I have. I can state that our farm never passed off battery as free range and neither did the competitors that I know off. It was far too risky to try it. Did you perhaps work for one of my competitors as you seem to have a good knowledge of battery farming?

geordie_joe

MaximumImpact... That's fair enough, you can only tell us what your own experience was.

But my point was the authorities said up to 30 million battery eggs were passed off as free range, so somebody must have been doing it.

I have never worked in your industry, but I have worked in other industries, and found that if you know you get inspected every 3 months then you also know that once you have been inspected you have 3 months to break the rules.

e.g. If you work in the egg industry you only have to stamp the eggs with the correct stamps on the day the inspector is coming. After he/she is gone you have 3 months to stamp every egg as free range.

RHYSDAD

Free range for us, from our own chickens. Wouldn't trust any other supplier. I know what my chickens eat.

bibbly

competitionscafe wrote: »

Are they the Clarence Court ones? I love the colour of those but my local branch no longer sells them.


http://www.clarencecourt.co.uk/legbar.asp

They look so pretty - makes you want to display them, not eat!!

Stephen_Leak

At present, I am afraid to say that I have to compromise. I buy the ASDA SmartPrice ones and put them in a plain egg box from the days when I could afford to get organic free range ones from the local farm shop. Needs must, whilst Incapabililty Brown and his pet badger drives.

adouglasmhor

bibbly wrote: »

They look so pretty - makes you want to display them, not eat!!

I have had those before and a multicoloured pack with a circular box as weell, but only when I am feeling flush.

ceridwen

Well - this whole debate will hopefully soon be over. I see that Sainsburys have now joined the ranks of supermarkets that refuse to stock battery eggs:beer: :T . I think a couple of supermarkets already refuse to? (eg the Co-op).

Hopefully that means that Sainsburys are really going to "do the right thing" - as I'm not convinced that barn eggs are much better. Still - every little helps.

I guess - whilst we are waiting for all supermarkets to refuse to stock battery eggs - that we need a couple more documentaries showing conditions that battery chickens live in - so that everyone else stops buying battery eggs anyway.

greenbee

Don't forget that it's not just the eggs you buy, but the eggs used as ingredients in other food. Possibly not so much of an issue for people on this forum who cook more from scratch than average, but that's where most of the battery eggs go.

If I can't get local organic free range eggs, I go for Sainsburys' organic woodland eggs, or if all else fails, local non-organic free range. As with all animal products, I can't bring myself to buy purely on price, as you know that the impact is on the welfare of the animal.

geordie_joe

ceridwen wrote: »

I guess - whilst we are waiting for all supermarkets to refuse to stock battery eggs - that we need a couple more documentaries showing conditions that battery chickens live in - so that everyone else stops buying battery eggs anyway.

Unfortunately it does quite work like that. Most people don't care where their eggs come from or what happened to the chickens that layed them.

This may actually be a good thing. You'll never get most people to stop buying battery eggs, so the supermarkets will stop selling them. But, if the super markets stop selling them and only sell free range eggs, most people will buy them and just complain that the price has gone up.