Avian influenza causes shortages of eggs

The outbreak of bird flu and the killing of hundreds of thousands of hens has led to a shortage of eggs in Saxony. Before Christmas, there were shortages at some points of sale on a daily basis, said Christian Riedel, chairman of the Saxony Poultry Industry Association. Sometimes eggs were not available in every size and farming method. "But there is no reason to buy hamster eggs."

Before Christmas, eggs were almost or completely sold out in several Saxon supermarkets, the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" and "Sächsische Zeitung" had previously reported. In January, the situation is expected to ease slightly, explained Riedel when asked.

The highly contagious bird flu had recently also affected livestock - such as a large laying hen farm near Radeburg. Riedel explained that it takes months to make up for such losses with young hens that are ready to lay. In addition, there are also losses due to avian influenza in countries such as Poland and the Netherlands, which export eggs to Germany.

High demand before Christmas - eggs become more expensive

Riedel knows that demand for eggs is generally high, especially before Christmas. This is because they are needed for baking and preparing desserts over the holidays. The shortfalls caused by bird flu would not have a short-term impact on supermarket prices. This is because there are annual contracts with retailers. However, eggs will be 3 to 5 cents more expensive in the new year anyway. However, this is not due to the epidemic, but to higher costs for producers for feed, the rearing of young hens and the rising minimum wage.

According to the association, around 4 million laying hens are kept in Saxony. This means that the Free State could mathematically supply itself completely with eggs from its own production.