Free-range eggs are coming back to supermarket shelves as chickens no longer need to be kept indoors as the bird flu risk has dropped. Hens had been kept indoors since November 2021 due to avian flu outbreak.
Birds were kept in barns for so long that eggs could no longer be classed as "free range". The labels disappeared from boxes earlier this year.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced chickens can be kept outside again as it lowered the avian flu threat level. It expects free range eggs to be back in stores in a few days, reports Wales Online.
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Four chief veterinary officers said in a statement: “Whilst the lifting of the mandatory housing measures will be welcome news to bird keepers, scrupulous biosecurity remains the most critical form of defence to help keep your birds safe.
“It is thanks to the hard work of all bird keepers and vets, who have played their part in keeping flocks safe this winter, that we are in a position to take this action. However, the recent cases of avian influenza show that it’s vital that bird keepers remain vigilant for signs of disease and maintain stringent standards of biosecurity.”
The bird flu risk level has been moved from high to medium for farms with poor biosecurity. Some measures introduced to protect chickens from bird flu will remain for the next few weeks. They include requirements for cleaning and disinfecting equipment, clothes and vehicles, and a limit to the number of non-essential visitors at farms.
More than 100 bird flu cases have been confirmed in the UK since October. The risk to human health is very low, public health authorities say. The Food Standards Agency says avian flu brings a 'very low' risk to consumers. Its advice that eating eggs is safe has remained unchanged since before the outbreak.
