Eggs imported from outside the UK for use in the catering sector have been identified as a potential source by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Carla Lockhart said: “One death and more than 200 cases of Salmonella food poisoning, including one in Northern Ireland, have been detected during the last twelve months. The UKHSA suspects those impacted have eaten imported eggs, or dishes containing liquid or powdered egg ingredients.

“This is very serious! I have repeatedly warned about the risks posed by imported eggs, especially given recent incidents across Europe involving antibiotic residues, chemical contamination and violations of hen welfare.

“I have consistently raised concerns with a number of DEFRA Ministers about the exponential threat that unregulated food and illegal meat imports pose, not only to our outstanding agri-food sector but to human and animal health.”

The Upper Bann MP added: “Thankfully, there is no evidence that UK-produced eggs or poultry are linked to the Salmonella outbreaks. This should serve as a powerful reminder of the high standards, rigorous testing and traceability systems that local producers work so hard to maintain.

“British farmers and food producers have to adhere to some of the highest production, welfare, food safety and traceability standards in the world.

“It is simply outrageous that food produced to lower standards, or standards which would be considered illegal for our own producers, can still find a route onto the UK market.

“That is unfair to our farmers, undermines consumer confidence and, as this outbreak demonstrates, can have potentially serious consequences for public health.”

“The foodservice and catering sectors also have a collective responsibility. Consumers deserve to know where the food they are eating has come from, and businesses should be doing everything possible to source safe, high-quality and fully traceable produce, preferably from local suppliers,” she said.

More than 40 million eggs are consumed in the UK on a daily basis. Approximately, five million of those are imported from countries which continue to use conventional battery cages – a system banned on UK farms since 2012.

Carla Lockhart MP is urging Andy Burnham’s Government to concentrate on bolstering the UK’s home-grown agri-food industry. She said: “DEFRA needs to review the agreements in place, and support our own farmers, rather than those located across the globe.

“This latest Salmonella outbreak underlines why buying British really matters. When consumers purchase British eggs carrying widely-recognised quality assurance marks, they can have confidence in the traceability and standards behind that product.

“We cannot continue with a system where our farmers are crippled by regulation and inspection, while unregulated, imported and inferior products are permitted into the country without sufficient safeguards. “

Ms Lockhart said: “Westminster must protect national food security, build consumer confidence, and deliver a level playing field for UK farmers and the wider agri-food sector.”

The MP has also criticised local Government for stalling planning applications submitted by poultry enterprises “There is a surging demand for eggs, but farmers in Northern Ireland are being prevented from capitalising on this growing trend.”

Carla Lockhart continues to raise the plight of local farmers left in planning purgatory by Shared Environmental Services (SES). She said: “The arms-length body is a bureaucratic choke point, stifling farm development and investment through excessive delays, unnecessary duplication and ever-shifting goal posts.

“Farmers are being held to ransom, while their businesses are prevented from expanding, modernising or improving - not because they have failed to meet regulations, but because SES isn’t responding in a timely and efficient manner.

“This is having a disproportionate impact on our local poultry sector. Farmers are ready to invest and expand to meet the growing demand for eggs. Yet they are being blocked at every turn by a dysfunctional planning process.”



The MP concluded: “If we are serious about supporting local food production, rural livelihoods and economic growth, then urgent reform of SES and the wider planning system is essential.”