Housing Issues Continue To Dominate Europe’s Egg Markets
Recent and dramatic rises in feed costs are impacting egg producers, but animal welfare issues and the upcoming ban on “battery cages” were top-of-mind for European countries at the 2008 International Egg Commission’s meeting in Shanghai. This article features selected highlights of the reports from Europe and South Africa.
Germany: Egg consumption increased in 2007 to 211 eggs per person, which is below the 1997 high of 227 eggs per person. The proportion of eggs from operations with more than 3,000 battery-caged hens has declined to a low of 56%, which compares with 81% in 2003. In contrast, the proportion from deep litter, free-range, and organic systems has climbed to 17%, 11% and 4%, respectively. The proportion of cage eggs purchased by households stands at 40% with deep litter at 24% and free-range at 17%.
The Netherlands: Egg production is 41% from barn-range hens, 12% from free-range, and 3% organic. Nearly 84% of household purchases are barn eggs, with only 11% coming from caged hens. Dutch consumers do not have a free choice of eggs as the supermarkets sell only alternative (i.e. non-cage) eggs and these outlets account for 80% of the trade.
United Kingdom: Free-range eggs account about 34% of total volume and 50% of total egg sales.
Czech Republic: Egg production in the Czech Republic amounted to around 3.2 billion eggs in 2006, which was 4% more than in 2005. About 1.5 billion eggs came from just 39 large-scale producers, two-thirds of which had more than 40,000 hens. Egg yields averaged just over 289 per hen. Total egg consumption in 2007 rose by 3.6% to 3.163 billion eggs.
Norway: There are just 600 egg producers and currently some 80% of egg production is by caged hens.
Switzerland: Increasing demand for egg products in the country is causing Swiss egg producers to lose market share to imported eggs.