The report, commissioned by British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), warns that illegal imports threaten the British egg industry and the thousands of jobs it supports.

New EU rules, which come into force on January 1 2012, will ban the use of battery cages. Instead, hens should be kept in enriched colony cages, which provide them with more space and a higher standard of welfare.

British Lion

UK egg producers have spent £400M to replace the old cages with the more spacious and comfortable new ones to meet the new legislation. A total of 90% of British Lion cage eggs already come from the new system and all will be up to the new standards by January 1.

But many egg producers in other European countries are expected to flout the ban by continuing to use illegal battery cages and will sell these eggs to the UK.

“Since 20% of the UK’s egg needs come from imported eggs, it will be inevitable that millions of illegal eggs will be imported unless tough action is taken now,” warns the report. “There is a genuine danger that after this date illegal battery cage eggs will be imported into the UK undermining the market and distorting prices.”