Egg shortages could last for another year, Welsh farmer warns

Egg shortages could last for another year, a farmer has warned. There has been issues around the supply of eggs for several months with supermarkets putting limits on the number customers can buy.

Now a Welsh farmer whose 32,000 hens supply Tesco has warned the shortage could last another 12 months.Llyr Jones' hens currently produce just over 31,000 eggs per day from Derwedd Farm in Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Conwy. He said that rising bills as well as bird flu and less desire for caged hens have all been contributors to a difficult time for the farming industry. After the invasion of Ukraine last year his feed bills rose from £30,000 a month to £50,000. Ukraine is a major producer of the corn used for bird feed.

Speaking to BBC Wales, he said that several farmers have left the industry due to the pressure. He said: "A lot of farmers decided not to re-stock and that then put pressure on the market and the price of eggs was forced up."Now, this year, egg prices have increased for us as farmers and thankfully our costs have started to fall a bit, so we're having to recuperate the money that we lost last year."And while he has said that farmers are once again started re-stocking flocks, it could be another year until this is felt. He said it takes around two months for hens to start producing eggs as well as eight months to get the birds onto farms."So, you're nearly a year until a farmer, from when he's empty, to when he can produce eggs. Now egg prices have gone up, some farmers are buying hens in now, but those eggs won't be on the market for another year," he told the BBC.

Recent Defra figures show egg production is down by 2.9% in England in Wales in just three months. Production is down by nearly a quarter compared to the first three months of 2022 (24.6%). This is the lowest amount produced on record, according to the Defra figures, which cover January to March 2023.In February, Tesco reported that it was selling more white eggs due to the shortage. The eggs have been part of the chain's standard egg range since early 2020 and customers are starting to see them more and more.They were initially introduced because more people were eating at home as well as baking at the start of the pandemic. Tesco saw demand for eggs rocket by 30%. Now, following an initial trial, Tesco decided continue to sell white free range eggs which had normally been for the restaurant trade, especially fast food chains like McDonalds who use them in their Breakfast Wrap snack.