An egg shortage Commercial Egg Producers of WA president Ian Wilson blamed the shortage on a lack of certainty in the industry, caused by the ongoing review of the national standards and guidelines for egg producers, with could see caged egg production phased out altogether by 2036.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Egg industry hit by price increase, supermarkets struggling to get supply. The issues have been put down to a number of reasons, including rising feed costs, chicken disease outbreaks overseas, weather issues and the belief that supermarkets are phasing out caged eggs too soon.
Supermarkets have been increasing their egg prices as shoppers are reporting empty shelves. Shortages first hit towards the end of 2022 when producers cut back or left the industry altogether due to the soaring production costs.
Recent Defra figures show egg production is down by 2.9% in England in Wales in just three months - to 121 million dozen. Production is down by nearly a quarter compared to the first three months of 2022 (24.6%).
In the 2021-22 financial year, New South Wales produced 35% of Australia's eggs with Queensland (30%) & Victoria (20%) not far behind. How many hens are there in Australia's egg industry? In June 2022, Australia's egg industry reported a national flock size of 21,187,854 layers.
In the 2019 financial year, 1.15 million Australian dollars worth of fresh eggs were exported to Hong Kong. Around 750 thousand Australian dollars worth of eggs were also exported to New Zealand.
Egg farmers are struggling to make enough money amid feed shortages and rising energy costs.
However, eggs are also undergoing shortages, after producers were hit by rising costs and the UK's worst-ever outbreak of avian influenza. This requires all birds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland, to be kept indoors, pushing up already soaring heating and lighting costs for egg producers.
The understudy follicles, on the other hand, are “reabsorbed” by the body (and effectively lost). Doctors estimate that while our bodies may naturally ovulate only 400 times in our lives, we lose upwards of 1,000 follicles—potential eggs—per month, and that loss accelerates as we get older.
A quick research uncovered that Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Jamaica share egg related food taboos. Neither pregnant women nor children are given eggs, because of a superstition that the unborn child will behave like a chicken, and that half eggs turn children into thieves.
In Europe, farms vaccinate chickens against salmonella. That means the cuticle is still intact when eggs are sold. Refrigerating eggs with the cuticle intact could actually cause mildew to grow. Which could cause… you guessed it salmonella contamination.
According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), you can freeze eggs for up to one year. When you're ready to use frozen eggs, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Use egg yolks or whole eggs as soon as they're thawed.
Australia is experiencing a national egg shortage. Prices are rising and supermarket stocks are patchy. Some cafes are reportedly serving breakfast with one egg instead of two. Supermarket giant Coles has reverted to COVID-19 conditions with a two-carton limit.
Australia Eggs 2023 Retail Prices
The retail price range in Australian Dollar for eggs is between AUD 6.02 and AUD 9.03 per kilogram or between AUD 2.73 and AUD 4.09 per pound(lb) in Canberra and Melbourne.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Response
The statement continues to say that refrigerating whole eggs is not required because: The Salmonella bacteria which can contaminate an egg while it's inside the bird isn't present in Australian eggs.
Other Countries
By not removing the cuticle, it also eliminates the need to refrigerate the eggs after they have been laid. These eggs are safe to store at room temperature because the egg naturally protects itself from pathogens.
Supply chain issues, Covid, and global inflation has seen the country suffer a shortage of eggs.
Overview In April 2023 United Kingdom's Eggs exports accounted up to £5.28M and imports accounted up to £18.6M, resulting in a negative trade balance of £13.3M.
Eggs there are not required to go through extensive washing, which leaves the protective coating on the egg. Because this coating remains on the eggs, authorities feel it is safe for them to be sold at room temperature. In some European countries, vaccines are used to prevent Salmonella in laying hens.
Simply put, there is an egg shortage because of an unprecedented outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza that has killed tens of millions of egg-laying chickens nationwide. It's the deadliest outbreak of bird flu in the nation's history, leading to the slaughter of nearly 60 million chickens by the end of 2022.
"In the EU it is generally suggested that eggs are stored at an ambient temperature of around 17 to 23 degrees C (62 to 73 degrees F)," Fielder says. But there's another reason the UK is not as concerned about washing eggs as the US: Salmonella is not as big of a health concern in Britain.
Yearly Trade
During the last five reported years the exports of Australia have changed by $139B from $204B in 2016 to $343B in 2021. The most recent exports are led by Iron Ore ($118B), Coal Briquettes ($54.3B), Petroleum Gas ($39.2B), Gold ($17.6B), and Wheat ($7.36B).
Australia exports around 72% of the total value of agricultural, fisheries and forestry production. Export orientation of each industry can vary by commodity type. Wheat and beef, which are large sectors, are more export-focused than dairy, horticulture and pork (Figure 7).
Eggs are the world's 550th most traded product. In 2021, the top exporters of Eggs were Netherlands ($911M), United States ($596M), Turkey ($371M), Germany ($308M), and Poland ($231M). In 2021, the top importers of Eggs were Germany ($686M), Netherlands ($322M), Russia ($299M), Hong Kong ($284M), and Mexico ($214M).