Lidl limits customers to three cartons of eggs each, while Asda limits purchases to two cartons per shopper. Tesco is also considering rationing eggs after bird flu led to shortages on some supermarket shelves. Other supermarkets source eggs from abroad, including Italy. The British Free Range Egg Producers Association said bird flu-related kills had claimed 750,000 laying hens since October 1 alone, compared to 1.8 million for the whole of last year. BFREPA says egg shortages are also a result of retailers not paying a “sustainable price” to farmers, whose hen feed costs have risen by at least 50% since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while fuel bills have soared by 40%. “It’s very difficult to predict, but we can definitely see it [shortages] last until after Christmas,” a spokesman said, adding that a third of its members had cut production or left the industry because they were unable to cover their costs. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Supermarkets source the vast majority of their food from the UK and know they need to pay a sustainable price to egg producers, but are constrained by their additional costs . can be passed on to consumers during a cost-of-living crisis.” Andrew Joret, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said high production costs were mainly to blame for the pressure on egg supply, along with hens lost to bird flu and strong consumer demand, with eggs considered a relatively inexpensive source of protein. . “While we expect supply to return to normal once cost pressures ease, we don’t know when that will happen and egg packers and producers continue to lose money. We are doing everything we can to ensure eggs are on the shelves while the industry works with retailers to get back on their feet as soon as possible.” Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said on Thursday that there were still almost 40 million egg-laying hens in the UK and expressed confidence that “we can overcome this supply difficulty in the short term”. The latest outbreak of bird flu, which has lasted more than a year, has sparked fears of a long-term crisis brewing in Britain’s poultry and egg industry, with birds being stuck inside for long periods each year – a serious threat to the free – range production. Egg and free-range poultry producers were required to bring their animals indoors from November 7 and keep them away from wild birds to reduce the spread of the highly contagious virus. It is the government’s fourth such stay-at-home order, following similar orders issued in 2017, 2020 and 2021, lasting up to 22 weeks. The restrictions are designed to reduce the risk from migratory birds carrying the virus during the winter months, although last winter’s outbreak continued into the spring and summer. Animal charities are concerned about welfare standards suffering as a result of the housing measures. Jane Howorth, who founded the British Hen Welfare Trust in 2005, said: “It is quite possible that there will be some overpopulation. It’s a real concern. “These birds are bred to enjoy hunting outside and when you change their behavior pattern, you immediately increase stress levels. Farmers really have their work cut out for them… Some farmers we’ve worked with for years have thrown in the towel and aren’t replacing their herds.” Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Howorth added: “Bird flu is now endemic in wild birds and is clearly a devastating issue for farmers and birds. This will happen year after year. This isn’t just going to be a turkey shortage at Christmas. It’s bigger than that.” He said the government’s strategy was “clearly not working” and that global cooperation and proactive action were needed, calling for educational measures to improve hygiene standards everywhere, including wet markets in some Asian countries. Connor Jackson, founder of Open Cages UK, said current measures only address the symptoms, but not the underlying causes, of the poultry industry’s vulnerability. He said viruses spread much faster through battery-farmed animals. Robert Gooch, chief executive of BFREPA, said: “Egg farmers have faced many housing orders due to avian flu and ensure the welfare of the hen is always the number one priority.” They have put soccer balls and tree branches inside sheds to provide stimulation for chickens who are used to being outside. The RSPCA, the UK’s largest animal welfare charity, said it was “concerned about the long-term impact this will have on poultry welfare and the stress caused to birds now having to be housed indoors, which which could lead to higher levels of feather pecking and drowning.” “RSPCA Assurance [the charity’s farm animal branch] will be contacting farmers and retailers to explore ways to address this issue in the future and there is ongoing research into possible vaccinations for poultry.” Current bird flu vaccines protect birds from serious illness and death, but cannot stop the virus from spreading and vaccination is not allowed in the UK.
