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This was according to the British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association (BFREPA), which said in a statement that many of its members were losing money due to high chicken feed prices along with soaring energy costs.
BBC News reported that farmers had called for a 40p (about R8,10) increase per dozen eggs to help offset their costs.
However, retail supermarkets reportedly countered by saying they were “constrained by how much cost we can pass on to customers”.
Ioan Humphreys, an egg farmer near Powys in Wales, said in a recent social media post that the price of a dozen eggs had risen by about 45p (R9,12) in supermarkets since March, but farmers had only received a price increase of between 5p (R1,01) and 10p (R2,03) for the eggs they delivered to retailers.
“We physically can’t afford to produce these eggs. Currently, about eight million fewer free range hens [have been] ordered for next year’s flocks,” he said.
Humphreys added that the decrease in production would mean that the country could be experiencing a shortage of up to eight million eggs per day to meet consumer demand.
The situation was being exacerbated by the fact that farmers had also been hit by soaring energy costs in recent months, as well as higher wheat prices, a key ingredient in chicken feed.
In addition, the country’s largest ever avian influenza outbreak had resulted in millions of birds dying or being culled during the past 12 months.
According to BBC News, government guidelines now compelled farmers in that country to keep all poultry and captive birds indoors.
Earlier this year, farmers had warned that the UK could face an egg shortage if retailers did not increase the prices paid to producers.
However, the Department Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said there was “currently no shortage of eggs”.
“We understand the difficulties the [bird] flu outbreak is causing for farmers; however, the laying hen population is approximately 38 million [head] so it’s unlikely to affect the overall supply,” the department said in a statement.
Despite this, a survey by BFREPA among 157 of its members in the first week of November, indicated that 33% of those polled had either reduced or halted the production of eggs in some way.
According to NNC News, the British Retail Consortium representing supermarkets, said bird flu had caused some disruption to egg supplies, but added retailers were trying to minimise the impact on customers.
The latest figures by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals indicated that about 55% of all eggs produced in the UK were free-range.
