French complain about non-compliant eggs from Ukraine

The French organisation for the egg industry, CNPO, has alerted authorities that a number of large supermarkets in the country are selling hundreds of thousands of eggs from Ukraine that 'don’t respect the European standards for poultry holdings and the French ban on the culling of male chicks'.

The CNPO has also indicated that eggs coming from Ukraine might contain antibiotics that are forbidden in Europe. According to the organisation, at least 4 inspections of eggs from that country exported via Slovakia and Poland to the rest of the EU have shown the presence of substances that are considered dangerous for human health.

Norms and consumer expectations

In a direct response, agriculture minister Anne Genevard has already send a letter to the European Commission, demanding a further strengthening of the sanitary controls, both in France and on an EU level. She also asks for a ban on the import of eggs that contain substances forbidden in the EU.

“The number of eggs imported from the Ukraine is not very high, but the symbol is strong,” Genevard said in reaction to complaints from the CNPO. “Our national food sovereignty means giving preference to French production over imported products that don’t respect our norms nor the expectations of the consumers.”

Rising demand for eggs in France

The complaints come at a time when the demand for eggs is still increasing, since the consumer considers eggs to be a relatively cheap source of protein at a time of high inflation. That high demand has forced some supermarkets in the country to import a larger number of eggs, to the disappointment of French producers.

“Sales have increased by 5% in volume so far this year, which means some 350 million eggs more than in the same period last year. We are fully capable of supplying the large supermarkets,” CNPO president Yves-Marie Beaudet said.