With British farmers losing money on every egg they produce, which has increased in recent weeks following the invasion of Ukraine, many are choosing to stop producing eggs. The national flock has already declined by around 4 million in the past year.
Andrew Joret, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), said: “The tidal wave of cost increases will see many family farms, some of which have been producing eggs for generations, going under in a matter of days, unless something is done quickly.
“Ten years ago, you might typically have paid £1.35 for six medium eggs, which today often cost less than £1 which is a third of the price of a barista coffee. Eggs are one of the most undervalued natural whole foods; packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. They provide the whole family with nutritious meals at a fraction of the cost of some other proteins.”
The BEIC has written to chief executives of the major UK retailers to communicate that unless urgent action is taken in the next two weeks, the normal supply of British eggs to meet consumer demand is under severe threat.
The increased costs include:
- Feed (increase of approximately 50%)
- Transport (increase of approximately 30%)
- Labour (national minimum wage increase 7%)
- Energy (increase of approximately 40%)
- Packaging (increase of approximately 15%)