Free range eggs in the UK were almost history

"Free-range" eggs were on the verge of disappearing from shelves in Britain as a result of the Government's bird flu housing order. Since December British-farmed poultry have been shut in barns under emergency measures to prevent the spread of avian influenza. The free range status of the hens locked in sheds was protected by UK law but by the end of February they had been inside for 12 weeks meaning that under EU laws they could no longer be sold as free range. The housing order banning birds from going outside was to be extended into March but instead the Government dropped the ban and most farms were allowsed to let their hens out. Until the change there was a real prospect that eggs previously from free range farms would have had to be re-labelled for sale as "barn eggs". There would be similar disruption here following major outbreaks of Avian Influenza. If the Government ordered all free range poultry to be locked in sheds, many of us would be forced out of business.Our hens are not beak trimmed, so if they were suddenly locked up in sheds, we would have a massive problem of cannibalism in our flocks.