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Free range eggs move for Lancashire schools
10:36am Thursday 7th August 2008
FREE-range eggs will be on the menu in school canteens across Lancashire after the summer holidays - at the request of youngsters themselves.
Half a million eggs are used in preparing dinners and snacks in school kitchens and other catering facilities run by Lancashire County Council every year.
The change to free range eggs has been prompted by Whitworth and Shawforth county councillor Sean Serridge, the county council's young people's champion.
He questioned young people across Lancashire on the issue and then investigated how a number of large commercial companies sourced their eggs and the differences in cost between factory farmed and free range alternatives.
The Rossendale councillor then passed his research on to the council's schools catering team, whose officials then spoke to their suppliers and a new deal on free-range eggs was hammered out.
Coun Serridge said: “This is the right thing to do, and I know from speaking to children in the many schools I’ve visited, they see animal welfare as an important issue, and I’m sure will also welcome this decision.
“Many large companies, including supermarkets, are doing the same as Lancashire.
"I’m delighted to see that yet again Lancashire is leading the way forward and I hope many other companies and councils will follow our lead.”
The more humane option will be funded through extra Government cash provided for school lunches this year.
County councillor Tom Burns, cabinet member for organisational development, added: "This has taken time to arrange due to the large numbers of eggs we use each year.
"After talking with different suppliers we have a deal which balances animal welfare against the small cost increase.
"It is my opinion that this is a relatively small increase and ultimately what price do we put on improving the lives of chickens?"
The move, taken up by Lancashire County Commercial Group, the authority's school caterers, could also be adopted by other county councl catering services.
County officials says that when they are in season, 67 per cent of prepared vegetables and 100 per cent of prepared potatoes served in Lancashire's school are sourced from within the county boundaries.
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TONY WALES, NELSON says...
7:16pm Thu 7 Aug 08
CAN PEOPLE REALLY TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FREE RANGE AND EGGS FROM BATTERY HENS? IS THIS NOT ANOTHER CON, LIKE SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TAP AND STILL BOTTLED WATER?
I KNOW OF SHOPS WHICH UNFREEZE CHICKENS AND THEN SELL THEM AT A HIGHER PRICE AS FRESH CHICKENS. THE CUSTOMERS SWEAR THEY PREFER THEM AND THEY ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY.
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Aitch, Darwen says...
6:13pm Thu 7 Aug 08
In halal slaughter an animal's throat is cut whilst it is fully conscious. It then staggers about until it bleeds to death. It can take several minutes before the terrified animal loses consciousness.
Let's not have these people patting themselves on the back and claiming to be in favour of better animal welfare and more humane practices, whilst they are supplying our schools with meat slaughtered in a medievel fashion.