31. 03. 10. - 15:00

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31. 03. 10. - 15:00

Easter egg shortage

European stores have reported a shortage of eggs in the run-up to Easter as a result of EU laws putting restrictions on the running of battery farms.

In Germany supermarkets said they would have to import up to half of their Easter eggs this year. Painted hard-boiled eggs are part of the traditional Easter celebrations in many European countries where the traditional chocolate eggs more popular in England are not sold so often.

President of the National Union of Farmers (DBV) in Germany Gerd Sonnleitner said: "With the cage ban we have lost one in five of the country's chicken population. Right now we are producing only about half of our eggs ourselves."

Many farms have given up selling eggs due to the high cost of switching over to friendlier methods of production after the January 1 ban went into effect, he explained.

To make up the difference in demand, the rest of the eggs are being imported.

Some EU countries still allow battery cages even as the practice is being phased out, and there is no ban on importing these eggs.

Meanwhile the German government defended the battery cage ban, saying it had taken a leading role in implementing the ban ahead of the European Union-wide end to battery cages set for 2012.

German Herald

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