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In our café the other day, a woman pointed to the eggs for sale, and said that’s more eggs than I’ve seen in my supermarket for a long while.
So, she asked, what’s the secret? Why does Fidget & Bob have more eggs than a supermarket? Sit down, we said, this could take a while. There are a number of factors to consider. Hen feed is one of the biggest costs in egg farming. The feed constitutes a variety of grains – wheat, barley, oats - along with soy & vegetable oils. Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of grains, and since the Russian invasion, wheat, grain & oil exports have been impacted severely. Avian flu strikes fear into the heart of any poultry farmer. When it is detected nearby, hens go into ‘flockdown’, being shed-bound until long after it clears. But worse, when avian flu strikes, thousands of birds have to be slaughtered. And yet, despite a means of production, consumers still expect – nay, demand – their eggs. The cost of staffing the farm has increased. (Where is everyone gone?!) The cost of egg box packaging has increased. (Please re-use your egg boxes.) Delivery fuel costs have increased. It all adds up. However, one of the main problems is the supermarkets pricing strategy. Typically, supermarkets work out supplier payment plans in advance. That allows the supermarket to plan, to offer deals, and to encourage consumer spend. However farmers who supply eggs to supermarkets for these pre-agreed tariffs are unable to adjust their prices to allow for daily or weekly influences. A lot of free-range farmers are small businesses, and with less margins, feel these influences more acutely. In the past year, 25% of UK egg farmers have stopped production entirely, and 33% have reduced their flocks. So yes, there are less eggs around. And yes, they are more expensive. But there are eggs. Beechwood have been producing free range eggs near Thatcham since the 1950’s. To this day, eggs are picked & graded daily, are on sale within 36-48 hours. Beechwood now service local farmers markets, and deliver to small shops & cafes in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire & South Gloucestershire. We have been taking delivery of Beechwood since we opened 5 years ago. They also supply us with quail & duck eggs by special order. All through covid, through staff shortages, through bad weather, Beechwood turn up. The eggs are fabulous, so of course, they (and we) sell out sometimes. But there will be more eggs. Check out your local farm shops & cafés for free range eggs – they really are eggs-trodinary. (Sorry…)
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All change, please, all change.
A new train station - Reading Green Park - officially opens Saturday 27th May 2023. The last train station to open in Reading was Reading West in 1906. Edward VII was King, Vauxhall Bridge & the Bakerloo Line both opened in London, the Wright brothers were granted a patent for their ‘flying machine’, and the ‘Census of the British Empire’ showed that Britain ruled 1/5th of the world. Reading Green Park Station is situated on the Reading to Basingstoke line, with services running every 30 minutes in each direction. The station is situated within the Green Park residential scheme, and close to the business park. It will serve local residents, commuters, & football fans. Reading Green Park Station was built by Network Rail, GWR, & Reading Borough Council. Facilities include an accessible station building, an overbridge providing access to both platforms via stairs & lifts, a bus interchange, taxi rank & cycle parking facilities. Two car parks, managed by Reading Borough Council, will include blue badge spaces, drop-off parking & long-stay parking. Initially, plans for the station were approved by the Office of Rail Regulation in 2009, but building has been knocked back time and again, not least due to finance, electrification of the line, covid, & yes, finance. Construction took place in a ‘live’ railway environment, with trains passing through on the busy Reading to Basingstoke line! Where possible, prefabricated steel elements were made off-site, lifted into position using a 200t-capacity mobile crane, often overnight. Now, we just need to work on getting the train to stop at Kennet Island! All change please, all change. |
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