Trader fined for marketing poor-quality eggs as class A

Andrew Stephenson, who runs a registered egg-packing station at Durham Back Lane, Stockton, was found guilty of six offences and must also pay £6,000 court costs.

The Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) prosecuted Stephenson at Teesside Magistrates' Court following an inspection last year.

He was fined £200 for four counts of marketing poor-quality eggs as class A - the grade allowed to be sold for food. He was also fined £100 for each of two counts of marketing unstamped eggs as class A.

The case was brought following a routine inspection lasst March when the Egg Marketing Inspectorate discovered that Stephenson's usual packing station area, at Woodcroft, was unclean, and the grader was inoperable and on the floor.

The inspectors then found a second packing room in operation, behind previously locked doors to the rear of the premises. As a result, additional inspectors were called in to help.

The inspectors found that about 90 per cent of all the eggs in this area were unstamped, and the majority appeared to be earmarked to produce chicks, rather than to be sold for human consumption.

This was indicated by the pale shell colour and black markings on at least one egg.

Despite requesting records for these eggs, Stephenson could not account for the production origin.

Many of these unstamped eggs were found in pre-packs, marked as barn and free range.

A smaller quantity, labelled as free range, was also found to contain eggs stamped with the producer code 3UK9-130, which indicated eggs from caged hens.

In mitigation, Stephenson, 48, claimed at the hearing, on February 13, that the eggs were from breeder multiplier farms, which breed chicks from the eggs, rather than sell the eggs as produce.

But the court found against the defendant, saying he wrongly labelled the eggs as class A.

In his defence, Stephenson said yesterday: "We are in talks with our solicitor to decide if we will launch an appeal."