FREE RANGE egg producers in England have called on Defra to take the same 'common sense' approach as Scotland and Wales over ongoing avian flu precautions.

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association said that hens in England should be allowed back outside at the end of February before producers go out of business.

The organisation highlighted the "serious inconsistency" with which the UK governments had dealt with the issue – while England has designated 'Higher Risk Areas' where birds must continue to be housed after February 28, there will be no compulsory housing for producers in Scotland or Wales.

BFREPA chief executive Robert Gooch said: “This inconsistent approach is proving divisive among producers in the UK and will spell the end for some of our members in England who will lose their free range status. There is a lack of common sense in an approach that allows birds on one side of the Severn Estuary to range, while across the border in England birds continue to be housed. It has created a postcode lottery.

“An outbreak at a broiler farm in Suffolk this week was outside of the proposed HRA, demonstrating that there is little science available to accurately pinpoint where HRAs should be,” he added.

BFREPA estimates that about 150 of its members will be caught in an HRA and will be forced to downgrade their eggs from free range to barn at a cost of about 20p/dozen – and they produce about two million eggs per day.

“We are calling on Defra to review its position and change the policy before we see our producers go out of business,” said Mr Gooch.