The UK's largest retailers have been invited to meet with egg producers at a crisis summit today amid a bleak outlook for the sector.
Scores of free range and organic producers will attend the summit, which will take place at the Pig & Poultry Fair at Stoneleigh Park on Tuesday morning (10 May).
Senior egg buyers from all the major supermarkets have been asked to attend in a bid to find ways to resolve the sector’s cost of production crisis.
The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) will ask them to outline what actions they are taking to support egg farmers.
BFREPA CEO Robert Gooch will lead the emergency meeting at 11.30am, where he will outline how desperate the situation has become.
Current market conditions threaten to halt egg production temporarily or put producers out of business entirely.
Huge hikes in production costs have impacted egg producers across the UK. Feeding hens is now 50% more expensive, while energy prices have surged by 40%.
Spending on fuel has rocketed by 30 percent, and labour and packaging costs have also increased.
A recent BFREPA survey revealed that more than half of egg producers are seriously considering stopping production until the price they are paid improves.
More than 70 percent warned that they would leave egg production within a year if a price rise did not happen.
Mr Gooch said the current situation was 'ruinous', adding: “We have written to all the major retailers asking for their help but to date we have been largely ignored.
"If the UK’s biggest supermarkets don’t increase the price of free range and organic eggs to a level where farms can at least break even, there will be egg shortages by the end of this year."
He warned: “Farmers cannot continue to produce eggs for nothing – the situation is so dire that scores of farms are considering stopping production at the end of their current flock.
“Only the retailers have the power to prevent a mass exodus and keep British free range eggs stocked on supermarket shelves for their customers.”
The summit is scheduled at 11.30am in the Poultry Forum Theatre at the Pig and Poultry Fair, taking place at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.
Representatives from Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose have been invited to the summit.
