Since the new welfare regulation for laying hens came into force on 1 January 2012, farmers in many member states are busy adapting their production in order to conform to the legislation. In some cases producers are stopping egg production all together.

Furthermore, the group says that the consumption of table eggs has increased due to the cold weather.

All these elements have resulted in a situation where the supply cannot satisfy demand. Many egg processors have difficulties in supplying the contracted quantities, as there are simply not enough eggs.

What further complicates matters is that this scarcity of eggs has made the egg prices shoot sky-high, which makes the situation financially unbearable for many egg processors, according to UBP.