Sir, – Last year the Irish Organic Farmers Growers Association was informed that Irish organic egg producers were not allowed to label their eggs with the marketing standard description “free range”. Yet today in Marks Spencers in Athlone they are selling “free range organic eggs” from Northern Ireland.
Our association considers this labelling restriction a barrier to trade. Northern Irish egg producers are producing a lawful product that can enter free circulation within the EU. Yet organic egg producers in the Republic are prohibited from making a free range labelling claim. The reason given to our association by the competent authority was that it was misleading as non-caged laying hens, as required under free-range criteria, are a pre-requisite to organic certification, therefore consumers already know organic also means free range. This is complete nonsense. Consumers are not aware of this, and organic egg producers pay the price for this false assumption. The standard for organic egg production, in relation to access to outside areas, is as appropriately onerous as that of “free range”, except that organic-laying hens must be fed organic feed. We will be looking further into this matter as it is prohibiting expansion of this sector. – Yours, etc,