Egg producers are facing their worst financial crisis for up to 30 years as retailers hold farmgate prices well below the cost of production, farmers and industry experts have warned.
Egg buyers from the 10 largest retailers came in for heavy criticism after they refused to face angry farmers at yesterday's Pig and Poultry Fair. Independent costing data from Adas, an independent agricultural and environmental consultancy, revealed that producers are typically losing 23.8p per dozen eggs before finance and 41.2p per dozen with finance costs included.
In the past year, costs have increased by an average 28.3% as the price of feed, energy, labour and birds has rocketed. Robert Gooch, chief executive of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (Bfrepa), told an emergency “breaking point” summit that the current average farmgate price was lower than farmers were paid seven years ago.
