Supermarkets have been increasing their egg prices as shoppers are reporting empty shelves.
Shortages first hit towards the end of 2022 when producers cut back or left the industry altogether due to the soaring production costs.
The culling of chickens following an outbreak of bird flu has been another contributing factor.
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Despite some supermarkets choosing to import eggs from abroad - Sainsbury's came under fire for selling Italian eggs back in November - some are still struggling with shortages.
There were warnings it could happen, with the British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association (BFREPA), last year calling for more support for egg producers saying that unless producers received 40p more per dozen eggs, some would leave the industry or pause production.
Prices have since risen, but the industry says that money isn't always being passed on to the farmers and in many ways is 'too little too late'.
It leaves customers not only finding it harder to get hold of eggs, but having to pay a lot more for them when they are in stock.
"I used to buy them on my weekly shop at Asda, but now I'm lucky if there are any left," said one shopper. "If they do have any left it's always the most expensive ones which I can't always afford. Some of them are extortionate."
Our own weekly price check of groceries has seen bare shelves at Lidl over a number of weeks now and shoppers tell us it's the same elsewhere.
BFREPA says a number of major retailers have increased their prices over the last month, particularly on large free range eggs. Asda recently raised the cost of 12 large free range eggs to £2.85, an increase of 30p since December, while Lidl and Morrisons have also made price rises.
BFREPA CEO Robert Gooch has welcomed the higher prices for the industry, but said the shortages could have been avoided if they'd come sooner.
“Egg prices have been one of the biggest risers on retail shelves and this has started feeding down through to producer prices," he said.
"Producer prices are now 40p/dozen higher than a year ago (April 2022 vs March 2023), which is the price rise that BFREPA asked retailers for during its ‘Breaking Point campaign’ last April.
"Calls for price rises during the campaign were ignored by retailers at the time, but producer prices did start creeping upwards in the autumn, with larger rises feeding through during the first few months of this year."
He added: "However, those price rises were too little, too late. As a result, there have been shortages on retail shelves since November which could have been avoided if retailers had heeded our warnings."
Both Asda and Lidl did not comment directly on the egg shortages, saying the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is speaking on behalf of the sector.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “Rising inflation is a significant concern for both consumers and retailers.
"There are a number of pressures facing the egg industry including Avian Flu, and the rising cost of energy and animal feed, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. But, despite these challenges, retailers are working with suppliers to manage prices to ensure affordability for all consumers.”
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