Egg supply shortage leads to rationing at some stores

By Tony Corbin in Industry News 17th November 2022

Asda and Lidl have announced that they are limiting the amount of eggs customers can buy as UK poultry farmers are facing rising costs and an outbreak of avian flu, which has also led to concerns of a shortage of Christmas turkeys.

Asda said customers would be limited to buying two boxes of eggs until further notice, while Lidl is limiting customers to three.

Sainsbury’s said it had not limited purchases but said some stores may be running low on some lines.

Tesco said it had good availability with no buying limits but was working with producers to protect supplies.

Morrisons said it was not facing major supply issues. Waitrose said it had good availability and “was monitoring the situation”.

Environment secretary Therese Coffey said she is confident “we can get through” the egg shortage as she noted “there are still nearly 14 million egg-laying hens” in the UK.

The British Retail Consortium confirmed some UK supermarkets are putting limits on egg purchases due to shortages largely linked to avian influenza in hens, however, The National Farmers Union Scotland criticised “disingenuous” supermarkets for blaming the egg shortage on bird flu as it feels it’s simply down to producers not being paid fairly.