11 November 2014 | Poultry | 2650 views

SEPRA Market Report - 7th November 2014

Wow... and that’s not all, the market is literately in shock, there has been a big increase in demand with the wetter colder weather, plus the change in the clocks which has triggered a degree of panic as the eggs are just not available.
 
Under these circumstances this usually brings in a lot of Continental eggs to fill the demand in the cheaper wholesale market, but our friend over there is saying that egg supplies are tight and getting tighter.
 
The big retailers will be desperately trying to hold down egg prices as they are one of the commodities being used in their price wars, for as long as the big packers have the eggs to supply them.
 
For unfortunately when the wholesale price goes high because of supply and demand (shortage of eggs as is happening now) and the supermarkets suppress the price, the cafés and restaurants simply buy from them, increasing volume to the supermarket and cash and carry suppliers.

The question is where are the big packers going to get the eggs from?

Already we hear of packers experiencing drops in production from contracted Free Range producers.
Is it the cold weather..? Or is it white van man with cash in hand and Christmas coming?

Feed prices are moving up again with a good bit more to come.

Raw grain prices have shown quite a steep increase since harvest, with arable farmers loathed to sell at below cost prices, the lack of volume coming on to the market plus a very sizeable export of wheat to the USA of all places (coals to Newcastle comes to mind) but it is cheaper to ship grain across the Atlantic to east coast mills as trans America.
 
Our congratulations to David and Helen Brass and the team at the Lakes Free Range on winning the Farmers Weekly Poultry Farmer of the year award for the second time, although based in Penrith they have production in Scotland which is marketed as SCO eggs.