Egg alarm in Austria: organic eggs just before Easter!

Egg alarm in Austria: organic eggs just before Easter!

In Austria, the population faces a blatant lack of eggs, which is particularly noticeable before the upcoming Easter days. The deficiency affects in particular organic eggs, the demand of which increases by 35 to 40 percent compared to the previous months before Easter. This reports oe24.at . The main causes for this situation are a decline in the legenth population, high inflation and the devastating consequences of bird flu.

Martin Schrall, chairman of the Poultry Economy in Lower Austria, states that the inflation has caused many consumers to buy fewer organic eggs. A large part of the Austrian farmers have now switched to conventional outdoor production. This shows that the challenges affect not only production, but also the buying behavior of consumers.

bird flu and their effects

Bird flu has serious consequences for the egg market in Austria. According to lko.at , around 200,000 laying hens and an additional 30,000 young hens had to be killed, which led to a loss of 3 to 4 percent of egg production in the main season. This has led to empty egg shelves in the supermarkets since the beginning of the year.

In addition, the availability of eggs is also limited in Europe. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the number of bird fluids in many countries, including Poland, Slovakia and Italy, increased significantly. These countries had already had millions of legented legs, which further reduced the overall available goods in the EU market. The gastronomy, which is usually accessible to imported eggs from the EU countries, is now forced to obtain domestic eggs.

price development and consumption behavior

The precarious circumstances on the egg market influence the shopping behavior of consumers. It is becoming apparent that many consumers use alternative shopping sources such as direct shopping from egg producers to counteract the deficiency. The prices for eggs vary greatly between the countries; In Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, prices rose by up to 40 percent, while they have remained largely stable in Austria, but are not to be underestimated in the context of inflation.

Despite these challenges, the supermarket chains are optimistic about the future and believe that they can meet the need for Easter eggs and fresh eggs. However, the starting storage of eggs for coloring could also reduce the availability of fresh eggs, which could further complicate the situation shortly before the holidays. The situation therefore remains tense and requires everyone involved to adapt to permanently.