Egg shortage threatens New Zealand’s national dish

New Zealand's households and chefs have been struggling to source eggs and egg whites.

(lantapix | Bigstock)
(lantapix | Bigstock)

A culinary creation comprising meringue, cream and fruit, the pavlova is celebrated as among the most popular desserts in New Zealand.

However, this special status has come under threat. The nation’s households and chefs have been struggling to source eggs, and egg white, a key ingredient for meringue.

Already in December, Radio New Zealand reported that some supermarket shelves were empty of eggs. Others were restricting the number of eggs shoppers could purchase. 

According to the industry body, the Egg Producers Federation, the nation’s commercial egg laying flock has fallen by between 600,000 and 700,000 birds. For self-sufficiency, the country needs a hen population of around 2.8 million in lay. 

Executive director Michael Brooks attributed the cut-back to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the high costs of feed as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the changes to the hen housing requirements in New Zealand. 

New Zealand egg farmers transition from battery cages

Following the growth of public interest in hen welfare, the government announced in 2012 that this form of housing must be phased out. Egg producers were urged to convert their poultry houses or build anew to switch to alternative forms of layer housing — be that colony cages, barns, or free-range systems. 

At the time of the official announcement in 2012, 86% of New Zealand’s hens were housed in conventional battery cages, according to the Egg Producers Federation.

With the deadline for the nation’s battery cages to be phased out set for the end of 2022, the proportion of New Zealand hens kept in this form of housing fell to 67% by 2016. 

By December 31, 2022, just 10% of the flock was in conventional cages, 33% in the larger colony cages, 24% in barns, and 33% in free-range systems. 

With the aim to manage the national egg supply, Scoop reports that the deadline to end the use of battery cages had already been was pushed back by a couple of years before the final date was set for the end of 2022.

According to the same source, one farmer reported challenges and protracted negotiations obtaining official consent to purchase the land to keep his new egg flock in a free-range system. 

Perfect storm for the egg industry

While the country’s egg farmers were clearly preparing for the battery cage ban, they were hit by challenging trading conditions during the pandemic, and by the same sharp increases in feeding costs experienced across the globe. 

Adding to these challenges, two New Zealand retail chains — Countdown and Foodstuffs — announced in 2019 that they will not sell eggs from colony cages after 2025 and 2027, respectively. 

Dismayed by the sudden change, some of the one-third of egg producers who transitioned to colony cages ceased production. Despite investing heavily in their businesses, they foresaw diminishing prospects for selling their eggs in the medium term.

In New Zealand, the egg shortages coincided with the festive season, when consumption tends to peak. As retailers struggled to source their requirements, egg prices were forecast to rise. 

Purchasing frenzy for pet chickens

One of the consequences of the egg shortage in New Zealand has been the frenzied buying of pet chickens in New Zealand.

From around NZD18 (US$11.50) in normal times, the price of a pet hen in lay is now up to NZD80, reported the BBC recently. 

Growing public attention on hen welfare in other countries

In Australia, annual consumer surveys reveal that the public are becoming increasingly engaged with hen welfare. Along with biosecurity, food safety, and environmental sustainability, bird welfare and housing are emerging as key issues in the latest in a series of surveys carried out by the national industry body, Australian Eggs. 

At the end of last month, food processing company Associated British Foods (ABF) announced it will shift all its eggs and egg ingredients to cage-free sources globally. Based in the United Kingdom (U.K.), ABF already sources a proportion of its eggs from cage-free layers, but it has expanded its pledge. For its U.K., Asia, Australia and New Zealand businesses, it aims to source all eggs and egg ingredients from cage-free sources by 2025. Three years later, the firm says it will also convert its ingredient businesses in Brazil.

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