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The British Egg Industry Council has announced that Andrew Joret has been re-elected as Chairman of the BEIC, with the following office holders also re-elected: Elwyn Griffiths, BEIC Deputy Chairman; Duncan Priestner and James Baxter, joint BEIC Vice-Chairmen; Jeffrey Vergerson, BEIC Treasurer; with Mark Williams continuing his role as BEIC CEO and Secretary.

While confirming the reappointments, Andrew Joret also announced the manifesto for the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) for the coming year:

“It has been a turbulent few months, with the impact of COVID-19 putting an enormous strain on production with year on year sales up by as much as 30%. We’ve also launched and completed a successful lobbying campaign to protect the high standards of British egg producers by maintaining tariffs on imports ahead of Brexit.

“The unprecedented egg sales over the past few months show that the UK’s love affair with eggs is as strong as ever and this provides some huge opportunities for the industry to continue to grow the market – there are so many reasons to be optimistic.”

Joret sees three key areas for ongoing success:

The launch of the most comprehensive Lion code ever

As the Chairman of the Lion Technical Committee, which is responsible for the development of the Lion Code of Practice in line with the latest scientific and veterinary thinking, Joret will oversee the  launch the Lion Code of Practice V8 later this year, consolidating the most comprehensive and stringent measures ever, to ensure the Lion continues to offer the highest standards of food safety in the world. 

Maintain tariffs on imported eggs

At a time when imported egg has appeared on supermarket shelves for the first time in decades, and bilateral trade negotiations with the USA and other countries on the horizon, it is vital that the industry continues to lobby Government to ensure import tariffs are neither reduced nor removed.  The BEIC will continue to work to hold the government to its pledge to support the egg industry by not lowering standards.

Claim the Lion’s share

Following an extended period where eggs have become even more of a family favourite, the industry must work together to continue to maintain sales as people return to work.  Working with BEIS, plans are in place to highlight the food safety, nutritional benefits, and versatility of British Lion eggs.

The industry will also be working with the foodservice and food manufacturing industry to continue the steady increase in Lion specification that we’ve seen in recent years in these sectors.

Joret concluded:

“It’s a great honour to continue as Chairman of the British Egg Industry Council and help to lead such a wonderful industry. With the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on egg demand to manage and Brexit trade deals looming, we have vital work to do this year, but we are prepared for any challenges and confident that we will be able to continue to grow the market for Lion eggs in the long term.

“I am very pleased that we have a hugely talented executive team in place, led by Mark Williams, that has the necessary skills to ensure that we can support the industry through what is likely to be a pivotal year in the development of the egg industry.”