In 2009, egg production totalled 53,400 tonnes, which was 29 per cent less than in 1995 and 7.5 per cent below the output in 2008. The sales for raw material to the egg processing industry fell by 30 per cent from the year before.

Egg production fell rapidly in the early years of Finland's EU membership: in 1997, production was already 27 per cent lower than un 1995. During the first decade of this century, production ranged between 53,000 and 59,000 tonnes. Of the total production, between one and four per cent was sold directly from the farm. Egg production per hen has increased by five per cent since 1995. The average size of egg farms has more than tripled to 2,600 hens.

In 2009, production volumes were reduced by a Salmonella Tennessee epidemic, which removed 440,000 hens from the market (-7 per cent). According to the forecast by Gallup Food and Farm Facts, the number of laying hens in the period January to July 2010 is 18 per cent more than the year before.

Egg consumption amounted to 50,300 tonnes in 2009 – up two per cent from the year before. Between 1995 to 2009, egg consumption fell by a total of 16 per cent. In the first years of EU membership, egg consumption in Finland declined by six per cent per year. Since 1998, consumption has varied between 48,000 and 53,000 tonnes.

Export volumes have varied from one year to another, depending on the degree of over-supply. In 2009, egg exports totalled 6,900 tonnes, which is 30 per cent below the year before. Egg imports have grown in recent years. In 2009, imports totalled 3,400 tonnes – 63 per cent more than the year before.

Production in traditional battery cages is permitted, under EU regualtions, until the end of 2011. The use of alternative production methods, such as barn systems and organic production, has increased only very slowely. In 2009, 75 per cent of grade A eggs came from battery systems.

Production of beef, pig meat, poultry meat and eggs in Finland from 1995 to 2009
^{(Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)}

Livestock production in Finland from 1995 to 2009
^{(Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)}

Producer Prices

When Finland joined the European Union in 1995, both the price support paid for agricultural products and producer prices decreased. Price reductions were to some extent compensated by increased direct income support. Of the main livestock products, the price of eggs fell the most (-65 per cent) and the price of milk the least (-28 per cent).

The market prices of livestock products in the EU influence their prices in Finland but Finnish prices also have special characteristics. The average producer price for eggs in 2009 was €0.87 per kilo, which was six per cent lower than the year before. The price varies between production methods: compared to eggs from batery cage systems, the prices paid for eggs produced in barn systems was 10 per cent higher, and organic egg prices are one-third higher.

Producer prices for the most important livestock products in Finland from 1999 to 2009, including production support
(€/100kg; milk, €/100 litres. The figures include estimated retroactive payments

Market prices for livestock products in selected EU countries in 2009
(€/100kg)

Producer prices for beef, pig meat, poultry meat and eggs in Finland from 1995 to 2009
^{(Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)}

Further Reading

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You can view the full report by clicking here.

Further Reading

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You can view the report on poultry meat production in Finland by clicking here.