Animal rights organisation Gaia last week carried out an action in Ghent to protest against the continued use of eggs from battery hens in processed foods. Although fresh eggs from caged hens have virtually disappeared from shops, there are still 5.5 million hens in Belgium kept in battery cages, which have to be phased out by 2012. Their eggs are still used in products such as pasta, baked goods and mayonnaise. The General Union of Farmers (ABS) pointed out that switching to an alternative system was more labour intensive and costly, though customers were not prepared to pay more.

The price of processed foods rose in the second quarter of the year, while inflation in general was lower than in the first quarter, at 3.3% compared to 3.5%, according to the price observatory of the Institute for National Accounts. Rising oil prices contributed 1.8 percentage points to inflation – more than half. The price of fresh food fell, despite rises for meat and fish, largely because the price of fruit was down slightly, and the price of vegetables fell by more than 5%.

Supermarket chain Delhaize has dropped a call for a 5-7% cut in the price of pig meat from suppliers, something farmers’ representatives described as “irresponsible”. A spokesman for the Pig Producers’ Association (VEVA) pointed out that suppliers could only offer lower prices by passing the savings on to producers, who are already suffering difficulties because of higher costs and lower market prices. Instead, Delhaize will now pass on the discount it receives from slaughterhouses to the producers themselves.