Asda joins Lidl by 'rationing eggs' as UK supermarkets…

Asda joins Lidl by 'rationing eggs' as UK supermarkets and restaurants face shortages

Supermarket giant Asda are following Lidl as they are now limiting the number of boxes of eggs that customers can buy amid shortages in the UK.

The shortages have been explained by farmers being hit by a mixture of rising prices and an outbreak of bird flu. Asda is only letting customers buy two boxes of eggs each.

In one Lidl branch, a ration of three egg boxes per customers has been put in place. Supermarket customers have taken to social media to share photos of empty shelves, The Mirror reports.

One Tesco customers posted an image on Twitter showing signs that read: "Due to the hot summer we are currently experiencing low availability across our egg range. Sorry for any inconvenience."

Another photo posted from inside a Sainsbury’s showed a sign that read: "We are currently experiencing supply issues across our fresh egg range. We are working hard to resolve these and apologise for any inconvenience caused."

An Aldi shopper tweeted: "Have you stopped selling fresh eggs online because of bird flu? I could not add any to my click and collect order.I will have to buy them from somewhere else now separately." And one Lidl customer asked: "Why have you no eggs in your stores?"

Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents the UK supermarkets, said stores are "working hard" to " minimise impact on customers". He said: "While avian flu has disrupted the supply of some egg ranges, retailers are experts at managing supply chains."

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) told the BBC farmers were being squeezed by the price of chicken feed - which has spiked due to the Ukraine war - and sky-high energy costs. Its members claim they've only received between 5p and 10p more despite the price of a dozen eggs rising by about 45p in the supermarkets since March.

"Feeding hens is now at least 50% more expensive than it was, and energy prices have soared in the same way that consumers have seen their domestic bills rise," the BFREPA said in a statement. Spending on fuel has grown by 30%, while labour and packaging also costs more."

A recent survey of 163 farmers affiliated with the BFREPA show 33% have already reduced or stopped their egg production. Farmers are also suffering following the biggest ever outbreak of Avian Influenza, which has resulted in millions of birds being culled or killed. There has also been a knock-on effect of birds dying during the heatwave this summer.

However, the Department Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has denied there are any supply chain issues. A spokesperson said: "We understand the difficulties the bird flu outbreak is causing for farmers, however the laying hen population is approximately 38million so it's unlikely to affect the overall supply."

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