The British Egg Products Association has warned that the major supply issues being experienced in the North American egg market are beginning to have an impact on the availability of eggs for processing within the EU.
The United States has seen the loss of around 40m laying hens as a result of bird flu, which equates to around 15% of the US national flock. This has been exacerbated by other problems in the region, such as further bird flu outbreaks in Mexico.
In order to address the severe shortages in the US, some of the EU’s production is being diverted and this is beginning to cause some supply disruption in the EU. The problems are particularly severe in the egg products market which would normally absorb overproduction, which is not currently available.
Elwyn Griffiths, Chairman of the British Egg Products Association, said: “To put this into context, the production that the US has lost is far greater than total UK production. It is a very difficult time for egg farmers in the US, and the knock-on effects are being felt around the world as eggs are diverted to help support the major shortfall in US production.
“We are seeing the start of some significant supply issues within the EU. As repopulation will take many months, we believe that it will be some time before we see supply return to normal.”
