Why is there still an egg shortage on some supermarket shelves?

Egg supplies across the country are struggling to keep up with demand resulting in empty shelves in some areas.

Woolworths, Coles and IGA have purchasing limits of two cartons in a number of states, and the price of eggs is rising as a result of the increased demand.

Why is there an egg shortage?

In 2024, Australia experienced the nation’s largest ever outbreak of avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, which has since been contained.

This resulted in nearly 2 million chickens being culled across New South Wales, ACT and Victoria, which is around 7 per cent of Australia’s laying flock.

The bird flu outbreak centred around egg farms in south-west Victoria who were major suppliers to the supermarkets.

“The outbreak reduced the number of laying hens in Australia, which unfortunately will take a while longer to rebuild,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.

‘The usual higher demand for eggs over Christmas and the New Year’s period put an additional short-term strain on the availability of eggs across all retailers, however our supply remains stable.

“Our egg supply has continued to improve and we are working closely with our suppliers to source as many eggs as possible.”

Meanwhile, another egg farm in Victoria’s north-east was last week found to have a separate strain of avian influenza in its 76,000 strong chicken flock, which will further disrupt egg supply.

“This outbreak has occurred at our Euroa property and will affect less than 10 per cent of our [company’s] egg production,” Kinross Farms managing director Philip Szepe said.

“All our other farms across Victoria are operating as usual to continue to supply eggs.” 

When will the egg shortage end?

Hopefully soon. But multiple industry sources say it’s likely a matter of months.

The farms hardest hit by the bird flu outbreak, who were major suppliers to the supermarkets, are currently in the process of rebuilding their flocks.

It’s expected the egg shortage which has stemmed from those biosecurity protocols could take months to resolve.

A Coles spokesperson said the supermarket was working hard with suppliers to improve the availability of eggs.

“We appreciate our customers’ ongoing patience and want to reassure them that we are doing everything we can to get more eggs on our shelves,” they said.

Meanwhile, eggs are also selling out at farmers markets.

Sue Owin is a co-owner of White Swan Eggs which operates in the Ballarat region, in Victoria and supplies local markets and grocers.

“We’ve got the same amount of eggs but it’s just trying to stretch that demand over this shortage period.”

“We’re selling out at supermarkets, farmgate shops and we’re only a small operation, really, comparatively in the egg business.”

Delivering fresher eggs

The silver-lining to the egg shortage, according to Ritchies IGA supermarket chief executive Fred Harrison, is the eggs on shelves are fresher than ever, as producers scramble to fill orders.

“The other issue is some of the eggs are undersized at the moment, but I think that’s just what happens when the pressure is on.

“The warmer weather, traditionally, isn’t fantastic for the laying of eggs either; the chickens get stressed when it’s 38 degrees and slows down the egg laying.”

How long do eggs keep in the fridge?

For fresh eggs, they last six weeks.

Egg producers say it’s best to leave your eggs in their packaging in the fridge to extend shelf life, rather than unpacking them into the egg compartment in the door.

If you’re unsure how fresh the eggs you’ve purchased are, there will be a ‘best before’ date on the carton.

And if you want to check the freshness of eggs the old-school way, put them in a full bowl or glass of water that covers the egg, and if it’s floats, it’s probably spoiled.