Free-range eggs are in short supply due to bird flu fears

Emergency measures to protect captive birds will remain in place on some farms beyond the end of the month
Emergency measures to protect captive birds will remain in place on some farms beyond the end of the month
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Supermarkets face shortages of free-range eggs and chicken from the end of this month as farmers are forced to keep their birds indoors indefinitely because of the threat of bird flu.

Hundreds of free-range farmers in “higher risk areas” will be forced to stop labelling their produce as free-range from February 28 unless they install expensive netting on outside areas.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced last night that emergency measures to protect captive birds would remain in place on farms close to lakes or the coast after February 28, 12 weeks after they were imposed on all flocks.

Under EU legislation, eggs cannot be labelled as free-range if birds have been kept indoors for more than 12 weeks. After that