21/08/2026
I’ve been investigating what salmonella is, what the rules are for different systems and how safe we should feel about continuing to eat eggs.
My small flock doesn’t have to be routinely tested or vaccinated for salmonella, they are below the 350 bird threshold. Flocks over 350 have mandatory testing, but vaccination isn’t mandatory - it’s a commercial choice, although schemes such as red lion require it for participating flocks.
I’m not anti vaccine. Vaccination is an important tool in reducing Salmonella risk. But it made me ask: why is vaccination so important in some systems in the first place?
Im asking whether large scale system vaccination is partly necessary because the scale and nature of the production system creates greater opportunities for salmonella to spread.
More birds means more manure and a higher bacterial load on the hens. Tighter more intensive systems can mean greater management challenges and greater stress for the birds. Then there are long supply chains and the potential for cross contamination when thousands of eggs are packed and processed together.
A vaccine is an important extra layer of protection - but it shouldn’t replace good farming, high animal welfare, hygiene, testing and traceability.
For me the question shouldn’t simply be ‘vaccinated or unvaccinated’ It should be how was this egg produced?
British eggs are produced under UK standards, and I believe we should have confidence in our producers and support them. But we also need to ask where the egg in our food actually came from.
When we buy a box of eggs, we can see the provenance and make a choice. But what about the egg in a ready meal, quiche, cake, restaurant meal, takeaway?
Most of us wouldn’t deliberately choose a lower standard imported egg from the shelf. So why should we accept one simply because the egg has disappeared into another product?
Ask where your egg came from. What standards it was produced to. Ask supermarkets, manufacturers, wholesalers, and restaurants to choose British eggs too. Buying British isn’t just about supporting our farmers. It’s about supporting the food system we want to eat from and that system being safe.
