‘Free-range eggs’ in EU could be from birds housed all their lives indoors

Eggs in France labelled “free-range is finished” in response to compulsory orders to keep birds indoors to guard against the worst bird flu outbreaks on record.
Photograph: Sam Tarling/Getty

Eggs produced in the EU could continue to be labelled as “free range”, even if the birds are not allowed outside, under new proposals.

The European Commission has put forward plans for scrapping the time limit on the marketing of eggs as free range if chickens are forced to be housed to reduce the risk of outbreaks of bird flu.