Wednesday, December 28, 2011

First it Was the Swedish Butter Smugglers Now Black Market EU Eggs Could Land in England

A couple weeks ago, during the height of Norway's butter crisis, entrepreneurs from Sweden and Russia were getting the golden goodness across NATO's front lines. A quick look at blocket.se shows the number of ads by smör-runners (smør in Norwegian) has dropped off perhaps because they are chasing the next hot market.
From EU Referendum:
The picture above is no more in the UK. More than 80 million battery hen spaces have been upgraded as a result of EU law. Almost all British egg producers will be compliant with the law that comes into force on 1 January. Others are not.

Spain, France, Poland, amongst others – eight in total, including Belgium - are not ready, and will continue producing eggs from battery cages, despite having had 13 years to prepare for the new law, one which introduces standards the British would have adopted, with or without the EU.

This, says the Independent, has led to fears that cheaper, illegal eggs from the Continent will flood into UK wholesalers, manufacturers and caterers – undercutting British egg producers, who say they feel "let down" by the Government's refusal to unilaterally ban eggs from non-compliant EU states....MORE
The wary reader may think we are feigning interest in the butter and egg biz but would be mistaken.
See:
Mix Butter, Onions, Cheese and Eggs. Add Electricity...
For some reason, this post from Freakonomics got me thinking about the Chicago Butter and Egg board, the Butter, Cheese, and Egg Exchange of New York and Title 7, Ch. 1, § 13–1 U.S. Code*... 
"Chart of the Day: Real Egg Prices, 1890-2011"

Egg Decorating

THE RENAISSANCE EGG: A FABERGÉ IMPERIAL EASTER EGG PRESENTED BY EMPEROR ALEXANDER III TO HIS WIFE THE EMPRESS MARIA FEODOROVNA AT EASTER 1894,WORKMASTER MICHAEL PERCHIN, ST. PETERSBURG

From Treasures of Imperial Russia