Ukraine and Poland have overtaken the Netherlands to become the largest suppliers of eggs to the UK in 2025, prompting criticism of imports of “cage” eggs, which have been banned in the UK since 2012. This was reported by The Guardian newspaper.
According to the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency, Ukraine has exported 8 million kg of eggs to the country since the beginning of the year, Poland has exported almost 7 million kg, and Spain has exported about 5 million kg.
Despite the overall decline in tonnage, the number of shipments has increased — instead of large batches, many small batches began to be exported from countries where cage farming is still common.
Mark Williams, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said that British producers are at a disadvantage because they have to invest in stricter standards for keeping birds. At the same time, imported eggs from Ukraine and Poland come from systems that are banned in the UK. He called this “morally wrong” and called on the government to take measures to protect the domestic market.
Egg imports are mostly destined for the catering and food industry segments, rather than supermarkets (where British Lion-labeled eggs dominate). It is estimated that the UK produces about 88% of its own eggs, importing the remaining 12%.
The British government has stated that it is involved in working on new regulations to level the playing field for domestic producers. At the same time, tariff exemptions for Ukraine were extended for many goods after the start of the war, but the “eggs and poultry” category received only a short-term deferral.
Source: https://open4business.com.ua/ukrayina-stala-najbilshym-postachalnykom-yayecz-do-velykoyi-brytaniyi/
