On this day in 1968 this article appeared about how the Reorganisation Commission Marketing Board had decided that the Egg Marketing Board must go. It had been set up in 1957 and in fact clung on until 1971. The idea was to protect egg producers, and consumers, from instability in egg prices by regulating and controlling production of eggs.
I don't think that many people now regret its demise. Certainly egg production in the UK has not been a model of good practice, but it seems to me that the eggs we buy are of good quality and reasonable price. There are concerns about how healthy they are, which didn't exist in 1968, so much so that it would be illegal to use the 'Go to Work on an Egg' slogan which, apart from the little lion stamped on the eggs, is the only thing that people remember about the Board.
It's quite rare to see a story like this. Once a quango gets established it is very hard to get rid of it. The big losses experienced by the few (the employees) trump the tiny individual gains which would be experienced by the many (the consumers of eggs). However, in this case, somehow, the many prevailed. In a similar way the Milk Marketing Board went the same way. Interestingly this all happened when a Labour government was in power. Three cheers for Harold Wilson!
