Egg shortage continues in UK

Producers and processors have been warning supermarkets of impending shortages for more than a year. Houses taken out of service require a full cycle from breeding parents, laying eggs before hatching, rearing pullets and transferring layers to the farm before the supply of eggs begins.

Matthew Green, managing DIRECTOR of Wot A Pullet, said the company is seeing an increase in orders for laying hens, but it won't see eggs hit supermarket shelves until the fall.

Green said he was concerned that retailers hadn't heeded the message, adding that it would take some time to recover: retailers to maintain a more reliable stock of eggs.

“If retailers are forced to import eggs and this becomes the new normal, it will have dire consequences for the UK poultry sector. Consumer loyalty to domestically produced eggs could be permanently eroded. The longer the deficit persists, the higher the likelihood of imports. Therefore, all parties are obliged to conduct an open discussion of the impact of increased egg imports on the British sector,” he said.

Greene added: “One of the perennial problems facing the sector is that fluctuations in the size of the UK laying herd cause fluctuations in profitability. This makes medium-term planning and long-term investment forecasts incredibly difficult."

“Over the past few years, as the problem of avian influenza has begun to seem permanent, poultry farmers have seen a multiple increase in risks and a decline in income,” he added.