2120 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

APPENDIX 1: MEMBER STATE REPORTSA1.14. SwedenA1.14.1. OverviewSweden has fully implemented Directive 1999/74/EC with effect from January 2003, including a banon the use of uneriched cages from this point. Sweden typically produces around 100,000 tonnes ofeggs annually, three quarters of which are packed by 25 central packers. Most of the remainder arepacked on farm for smaller retail outlets with a small proportion sold direct. There are around5,000 producers with a laying flock of 5.47 million birds. Commercial flocks are typically around10,000 birds for caged systems and less for alternatives. While Sweden was once a net exporter,there has been a net import requirement for a few years as producers have been investing in newfacilities. The industry expects Sweden to have a small surplus when this round of investment hasbeen completed.There were 150 registered packers in May 2004. The largest packer is Svenska Lantägg ABaccounting for approximately a quarter of all eggs packed. The large central Swedish packers ownsome production facilities, but source the majority of their eggs on contract 131 . These are typically 9month rolling contracts with packers and producers in long-term relationships.There are only two processing companies in Sweden, the largest is Källbergs 132 with about twice thecapacity of Svenska Lantägg as a result of the former importing eggs for processing, some of whichare then exported as powder.A1.14.2. Egg productionAnnual Swedish production in 2003 was 93,000 tonnes 133 from a laying flock of 5,471,330 birds.Enriched cages accounted for 26% of total laying hens at 16 December 2003 with 15% of laying hensstill in traditional cages 134 . Barn production accounted for 52% of laying hens with 6% in organicsystems. There are no free range systems in Sweden as a result of the climate. The industry expectsthere to have been changes since December with the proportion of layers held in enriched cagesincreasing and that of barn decreasing. Production from enriched cages is labelled as that from eggsproduced in cages with ‘nest boxes, perches and scratching area’ added to differentiate fromtraditional caged production.Around 90% of Swedish production is in the south of the country where cereals are grown and mostof the population is based.131 Around two thirds of eggs sourced by central packers are on contract with a third sourced from own production. The trend is awayfrom owning production.132 The majority owner is the Danish company Dænagg with Sanovo, Finland’s Munakunta, the Swedish co-operative Kronägg and theNorwegian co-operative Prior.133 At an average egg weight of 63 grams this equates to 1.476 billion eggs (source: www.eurobusiness.se/eggsweden).134 4% of these had permission to remain in traditional cages until January 2004, any remaining now are illegal pending the outcome of thelegal process.295