Fears are growing over a reported egg shortage as reports of potential rationing hit the headlines. There are said to be urgent talks across the industry about how to cope with an egg crisis.
And The Sun newspaper claimed some of the biggest supermarkets are considering rationing eggs or importing from Poland. When contacted about the reports, a spokeswoman for Aldi said the chain has "good availability" of eggs. And a spokesman for Asda said there were "currently" no limits on eggs.
Sainsbury's, Lidl and Tesco were also contacted but are yet to respond to the claims. As reported last week, a sign in a Sainsbury’s stated: "Can’t find the eggs you want? We’re dealing with supplier issues right now. We’re sorry for any hassle this causes."
The avian flu outbreak, coupled with spiralling feed and energy costs, means many producers are being pushed to breaking point. And with a predicted “mass exodus” of fed-up farmers, the industry is facing a potential crisis.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: "Retailers are experts at managing supply chains and will continue to work hard to ensure minimal impact to customers despite ongoing supply chain pressures.”
Around 48 million chickens around UK have been culled as Government moves to contain avian influenza outbreak. Some suppliers have blamed the outbreak, along with rising costs for egg farmers.
Ioan Humphreys, an egg farmer in Wales, blamed supermarkets for not paying egg farmers enough. "The price of new birds has gone up but our price of eggs has stayed the same. We physically can’t afford to produce these eggs", he said.
Defra insisted last week there is no "immediate threat" to the food supply chain, including eggs. The British Egg Industry Council said it is not aware of any shortages in retail or the wholesale market.
But added it can "fluctuate in terms of supply and demand, and availability is fairly tight at the present time". The average cost of a flock of 32,000 hens is an estimated £1.24million, with average revenue from egg sales only bringing in £921,000.
The British Free Range Egg Producers Association says this "unsustainability" has led to some producers being forced to quit. A spokesperson said: "We warned 10 months ago that producers would pause or halt production if they weren’t paid a fair price for their product, and that the knock-on effect would be fewer hens and fewer eggs.”
