Easter in danger: organic eggs are becoming rare – Spar sounds the alarm!

Easter in danger: organic eggs are becoming rare – Spar sounds the alarm!

There is a risk of egg shortages in Austria's supermarkets shortly before Easter. The grocery chain Spar warns of possible supply bottlenecks, especially for organic eggs, and notes that domestic producers cannot fully meet increasing demand. A notice in a Spar branch in Vöcklabruck informed customers about the restrictions in the availability of eggs, which are due to challenges in agricultural production. Spar also stated that there would still be enough eggs available, although sell-out situations could occur in the short term. This reports Cosmo.

The main reason for the shortages is the spread of bird flu, which has led to a decline in available eggs in both Germany and Europe since October. Since then, four poultry farms with around 200,000 hens have had to close in Austria, which has further exacerbated the already tense situation. The requirement for poultry farmers with more than 50 animals in 25 districts also contributes to the shortage. courier emphasizes that the increased demand from the catering industry is making the situation even worse.

Growing demand and reduced imports

Demand for organic and free-range eggs has risen sharply in recent months, leading to a shortage on supermarket shelves. The shelves are often sparsely stocked, especially in the afternoon, while organic eggs sell out very quickly. In order to stabilize the situation, companies are building up stocks for Easter, but this could further reduce supply. The normalization of the supply situation is not expected until Easter, as a Lidl representative explained.

Austrian food producers are responding to the high demand from restaurants and consumers by increasingly purchasing local organic and free-range eggs. However, according to Agricultural Marketing Austria (AMA), the supply situation is not expected to ease until the end of the month. Martin Gressl from the AMA speaks of an overall “good supply situation”, which is, however, challenged by the exceptionally high demand.

The current situation at a glance

• In Österreich gibt es etwa 7,3 Millionen amtlich registrierte Legehennen:
  • 4,1 Millionen in Bodenhaltung
  • 2,2 Millionen in Freilandhaltung
  • 953.000 in Bio-Haltung
• Knapp 50% der im Lebensmittelhandel verkauften Eier stammen aus Bodenhaltung, 37% aus konventioneller Freilandhaltung, und 12% aus bio-zertifizierter Freilandhaltung.
• Käfighaltung von Legehennen ist in Österreich ausnahmslos verboten.
• Der durchschnittliche Eierverbrauch pro Haushalt beträgt 5,70 Euro pro Monat, was einen jährlichen Konsum von 248 Eiern pro Person einschließt, auch in verarbeiteten Produkten.

In addition to bird flu, inflation is also contributing to the shortage situation. Many customers are trying to replenish their stocks, which further increases demand. The forecasts indicate that the situation will only stabilize around Easter, which represents a challenging situation for many consumers and catering businesses, as well ORF reported. Apart from the effects of bird flu, the focus on sustainable food production is relevant, which recent developments have brought to the fore more than ever.