# Ep 39 | Dr Lisa Ackerley: Egg imports, safety and standards under pressure

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poultry-network-podcast-7041539/ep-39-dr-lisa-ackerley-egg-imports-safety-and-standards-under-pressure
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poultry-network-podcast-7041539/ep-39-dr-lisa-ackerley-egg-imports-safety-and-standards-under-pressure.md
Podcast: [The Poultry Network Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poultry-network-podcast-7041539)
Published: 2026-04-24T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://poultry.network/ep-39-dr-lisa-ackerley-imported-eggs-salmonella-risk-and-british-lion-standards
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/a6fee0e8-3d3f-430a-bc9b-a535c6dfbd75.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1760

## Resource

Imported eggs are moving into the UK in huge volumes — and Dr Lisa Ackerley believes the industry should be asking much harder questions about where they are going, how they are being checked, and whether buyers really understand the risks. In this episode of The Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak to Dr Lisa Ackerley, a public health and hygiene scientist and Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner with more than 40 years’ experience in food safety. Dr Ackerley has followed the egg sector since the Salmonella crisis of the late 1980s, and says the progress made by the British egg industry since then has been “dramatic”. In particular, she points to the British Lion scheme as one of the clearest examples of how industry-led controls, vaccination, traceability and biosecurity have helped rebuild confidence in eggs. But she warns that confidence could be put at risk if imported eggs and egg products continue to enter the UK food chain without the same safeguards. The discussion follows the publication of the Shell Shocked report, which raises concerns about the rise in egg imports and the potential implications for food safety, animal welfare, traceability and fair competition. According to the report, UK egg imports have risen from around 1 billion to 1.6 billion eggs a year since 2021. Tom Willings breaks that figure down in practical terms: around 31 million eggs a week, or roughly 100 full artic lorryloads entering the country every week. For Dr Ackerley, the timing is critical. Hospitality and foodservice businesses are under intense financial pressure, and cheaper ingredients can be tempting. But she argues that many buyers may not realise the difference between British Lion eggs and imported alternatives — particularly when eggs are des…

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## Transcript

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