Australia’s Egg Shortage: Understanding Why Supermarket Shelves Remain Pricey and Empty
Australia is struggling with egg supply. Most supermarkets have bare shelves. The shortage is getting worse. Eggs are increasingly harder to come by. What is the reason behind this? Let’s examine it further.
The Root Cause: Bird Flu
- Australia has experienced a catastrophic bird flu episode for the past six months.
- Farmers had to slaughter approximately 1.8 million chickens to contain the disease.
- Fewer chickens leads to fewer eggs being produced.
- There is a gap between ending the outbreak and rebuilding chicken stock, which is far longer than anticipated.
What is the Cause of the Delay?
- It may take months for full grown chickens to yield eggs. For baby chicks to achieve this, they need to reach maturity first.
- There needs to be an assurance that there will not be another outbreak on farms.
- There’s a concerted effort to improve egg production, but it is proving ineffective.
The Woes of Supermarkets
- Need and demand is so dire that big stores like Woolworths and Coles now limit customers to a set amount of purchased eggs.
- Certain stores have completely run out of stock.
- People are becoming irritated as they are unable to purchase sufficient stock.
- A growing number are sourcing from local markets or small, independent stores, where eggs are accessible, albeit at a higher price.
Prices Keep Rising
- The price of eggs alone has increased approximately 11.2% over the span of a couple of months.
- People, in general, are now paying nearly double for eggs than what was paid previous year.
- Even restaurants and bakeries are facing the heat as they tend to use a lot of eggs in making cakes, breads, and other cuisine.
What Are Farmers Doing?
- Farmers are looking to get more chickens on-site to help with production.
- Others are enacting more biosecurity measures in hopes to mitigate a future outbreak.
- Some are asking for assistance from the government in order to help recovery happen quicker.
Will Things Get Better Soon?
- From an expert point of view, it does look like it may take another six months in order to bring egg supply back to normal.
- Up until that point, shortages will persist and prices are believe to remain at a premium.
- While farmers and supermarkets are collaborating with each other to solve this issue, it is going to take time.
What Can Shoppers Do?
- Purchase only what is necessary, don’t feel the need to buy in bulk during panic buying situations.
- Seek out other sources like local farmers or independent grocery stores.
- Mashed banana or yogurt could help substitute baking ingredients.
- Exercise patience. This issue will be resolved in due time.
Lessons From This Crisis
- This highlights how singular health complications can interfere with food supply chains.
- Prevention of this scenario needs to be addressed by Australia with better bird flu inflection prevention methods.
- A potential local solution to reduce future scarcities is more local investment in egg production.
Even though eggs are considered basic food items, they are pivotal in our everyday life. This is a difficult crisis, but it is also an opportunity to learn and get better at things. What are your thoughts? What is your solutions to the egg problem? Share your opinions with us.
