New Zealand is Running out of Eggs

By MiNDFOOD

Faces on the eggs. Difference faces living together - Diversity concept
Faces on the eggs. Difference faces living together - Diversity concept
New Zealand is heading for an egg shortage as the industry undergoes a massive period of disruption while it transitions to free-range farming.

Kiwis are eating more eggs than ever. Personal consumption has increased to 230 eggs for per year per person, compared to 200 eggs a decade ago. However, that’s only one part of the problem.

The main problem is farmers are struggling to modify their operations and maintain output as the industry moves from cage to barn and free-range egg production.

Major retailers and fast food chains, including McDonalds in New Zealand and Australia, have committed to stop selling and serving caged eggs by 2027. 

Michael Brooks, executive director of the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand, said supermarkets were struggling to get the volumes of eggs they required as the nation’s hen flock had decreased from 4.2m birds in 2018 to around 3.6m this year.

The decrease comes as farmers search for new land and infrastructure to build much larger free-range farming operations.

In the European Union battery cages began to be phased out in 2012, while Switzerland was the first country in the world to ban them outright in 1992.

If you do manage to find eggs, here are our tips to make the perfect egg. 

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