British farmers have accused supermarkets of ignoring warnings in May that egg shortages would occur this winter if they were not paid more for their produce. The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) held a summit in May inviting major supermarkets to discuss higher payments amid rising costs of fuel and chicken feed, but the event was snubbed by chains including Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Aldi, M&S, ASDA and Lidl, who were represented by cardboard cut-outs.
Farmers requested an additional 40p per dozen eggs but have received only minimal increases, making it unsustainable for many to keep chickens. Robert Gooch of BFREPA expressed fury, stating: 'We predicted back in May exactly what was going to happen and it's disgraceful that retailers are letting not only their farmers and suppliers down by importing, but also letting their customers and consumers down by offering sub-standard eggs imported from abroad.'
Supermarkets have blamed the shortage on bird flu, with Lidl rationing eggs to three boxes per customer and some stores importing eggs from Italy. However, farmers argue the shortages could have been avoided if retailers had met their demands. One farmer told the BBC in May: 'For most people now, the answer is it's cheaper not to put chickens into the sheds and to let them run empty. Eventually we'll see shortages on the shelves because the retailers won't protect the supply chain now.'
Welsh egg farmer Ioan Humphreys criticised supermarkets in a video, saying: 'All the supermarkets have to do is pay a fair price to the British farmers and the British farmers will produce British eggs, it's not that hard.' Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said there are nearly 14 million egg-laying hens in the UK and expressed confidence the supply difficulty can be overcome.
