A THIRD of EU egg production will not meet new hen welfare regulations when they come into force on January 1 next year.

Now an influential committee of MPs has called on the government to ban imports of non-compliant eggs and egg products, and for the EU Commission to act against member states whose producers fail to meet the deadline.

The new rules ban the use of conventional laying cages in favour of “enriched” cages which provide the hens with more space, perches, a nest, litter for pecking and scratching, and unrestricted access to a feed trough.

About 31 million eggs are eaten in the UK each day with about 80 per cent of eggs and egg products produced domestically – about half are produced from caged hens and 45 per cent from freerange systems.

UK producers will have spent about £400m to comply with the new rules which relate to those with more than 350 laying hens.

But the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efra) fears they could be left at a competitive disadvantage.

Anne McIntosh, committee chairman and MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: “The European Commission has just not woken up to the impact that non-compliance with this legislation will have on egg producers in the UK and across Europe.

“UK producers will be left at a competitive disadvantage if cheaper, illegal and noncompliant shell eggs and egg products can be imported to the UK from other European countries.”

The Efra committee report calls on the UK Government to press for an intra-community trade ban on the export of non-compliant eggs and egg products, and for the EU Commission to act against member states where caged egg producers remain non-compliant once the directive comes into force.