Consumers can be confident if they buy a British "Lion" egg because they are among the best in Europe, says the National Farmers' Union.The European Food Standards Agency has tested for salmonella on chicken farms (not in hens or eggs).

Consumers can be confident if they buy a British "Lion" egg because they are among the best in Europe, says the National Farmers' Union.

The European Food Standards Agency has tested for salmonella on chicken farms (not in hens or eggs).

Between October, 2004, and September, 2005, it found almost 90pc of UK holdings were completely free of salmonella. The small number of positive samples put the UK among the best in Europe.

The report confirmed recent findings by the UK Food Standards Agency, which found no salmonella in the 28,000 British eggs it tested.

And the UK has the most stringent system in the world for ensuring the highest food safety standards for eggs. About 85pc of UK eggs are produced under the British Lion Quality scheme, introduced in 1998. UK egg producers have invested more than £36m in the scheme, which stipulates vaccination of hens against salmonella on top of a range of other food safety measures.

Vaccination protects both hens and eggs against salmonella. And, in the preliminary analysis of the UK results within the EU survey, vaccination was shown to reduce salmonella prevalence on holdings.

The survey is part of an EU Directive to reduce the levels of salmonella in member state.

Duncan Priestner, vice-chairman of the NFU Poultry Board (Eggs), said: "Consumers can feel confident when they purchase eggs produced in Britain that they are buying eggs that have been laid under stringent systems which ensure the highest food safety standards."