UK farmers urged to comment on laying hen standards

Egg producers are being urged to contact the National Farmers’ Union and talk about their thoughts on the new RSPCA Assured standards. This follows the National Farmers’ Union’s ask for better engagement with egg producers, which prompted RSPCA Assured to form a producer group to gather feedback from laying hen producers on its new revised assurance standards. Earlier this year, RSPCA assured paused its introduction of new laying hen standards following a wave of criticism from producers. The National Farmers’ Union has already gathered feedback from members on the potential impact of new standards requiring the installation of verandas on barn units from January 2030 and the provision of natural daylight on all sites by January 2031, which is being fed back to RSPCA Assured. The National Farmers’ Union has created a survey, which ran until 12 August, for members to respond. The survey covered 5 areas to reflect the different sections of the standards: In April, RSPCA Assured ...