Asda and Lidl had previously imposed similar restrictions. Pub chain JD Wetherspoons said egg dishes have been removed or replaced with other foods at some branches. “We’re having a hard time getting the supplies we need to meet the demand in all bars,” a company spokesperson said.
Chicken prices have skyrocketed. The farmers’ association NFU urged the Ministry of the Environment to investigate supply chain issues.
More than 750,000 chickens have been culled since the beginning of October alone to slow the spread of bird flu, according to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA). From 7 November all poultry in England must remain in pens and aviaries.
It is the largest ever outbreak in the UK with over 200 confirmed cases, according to the Department for the Environment. Bird flu also strikes turkeys, and with that it is a traditional Christmas meal for many Brits. Almost a third of the annual production of turkeys of 11 million animals was culled, the Daily Mail reported at the end of October.
The BFEPRA association also criticized that the egg shortage is due to retailers not paying farmers sustainable prices despite increasing consumer demand. Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, chicken feed costs have increased by 50 percent and energy bills by 40 percent.
A spokesperson for the association said that one-third of members reduced production or left the industry because they could not afford their costs. The famine will certainly last until after Christmas.
In 2021, a total of 11.3 billion eggs were produced in the UK and another 1.4 billion eggs were imported. Per capita consumption was 202 eggs per year.
(SDA)