It’s difficult to get about some eggs in the eastern parts of the Netherlands these days. Supermarkets are experiencing serious shortages there because large supplies of eggs have been bought up by German wholesalers. The Netherlands has always been one of the world’s greatest exportors of eggs but usually not at a disadvantage to the country’s own market. So many more eggs are finding their way to Germany now because that country is set to ban battery hen cages next January 1 which has severaly damaged its own production already.

The European Parliament voted to ban battery cages in 1999 when so much as 93 percent of eggs in what was then the European Community came from battery hens. By 2012 all member states must have the battery system abolished but Germany has chosen to take the lead by outlawing the practice in 2010 already.

Of course, when parliament forced farmers to turn back the clock half a century it provided adequate protection against the import of cheap eggs from abroad by imposing extensive border and subsidy measures. To control imports and boost exports, the European Union uses sluice-gate prices, basic and variable import levies and export refunds on all shell eggs and products.

The sluice-gate price is a theoretical, calculated price at which poultry imports to Europe should be priced given world grain costs. The import levy is fixed at a level to protect European egg producers against imports from countries that benefit from market cereal prices considerably below the European average. The simple purpose of the measure is to prevent the import of eggs that are priced lower than their European counterparts.

A safeguard clause allows Brussels to suspend imports if the European market is threatened with serious disturbances such as a flood of low priced imports. Refunds are paid to European exporters from the Common Agricultural Policy budget to help them compete outside Europe where producer costs can be lower due to lower feed grain prices, for example.

Understandably, this is upsetting developing countries which are currently stalling negotiations within the World Trade Organization for one thing, precisely because the West, the European Union in particular, is increasingly protecting its own market, making it near impossible for Third World farmer to compete. Yet, with subsidies, European producers are able to penetrate their markets. (So next time you hear someone denounce “free trade” for destroying Third World agriculture, you know better than to nod in approval.)

The only ones not complaining right now are Dutch poultry farmers who are able to sell their eggs in Germany at prices unprecedented in recent history. Within the next two years however, they too will be forced to give up their battery cages. Inevitably, the supply of eggs will shrink throughout Europe, driving prices up only further.