Big egg farms’ output set to fall in 2019

itLarge-scale egg production, after an almost 11 percent increase last year, dropped by about 9 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year, so it is expected to produce 1-1.2 billion eggs this year in Hungary after last year’s 1.24 billion. 

This informations secretary of the Breeders ‘and Eggers’ Association (Egg Association) on World Egg Day said. That 52 percent of domestic demand comes from large-scale production, 26 percent from domestic supply, and 21-22 percent from imports Györgyi Molnár said. It is estimated that 600 million eggs come from backyard production, with imports ranging from 480 to 500 million a year. Like last year, the Hungarian population can consume 2.3 billion eggs this year. Last year, the consumption of eggs per head was 238, according to the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the secretary added.

Egg sales in the poultry sector declined by 14 percent last year to HUF 24.8 billion, which was explained by the decline in the average annual price. In the first half of this year, the average producer price was HUF 19.96, 4 percent lower than a year earlier. He added that while producer prices dropped to the 2017 level, consumer prices were 6-7 percent higher this year, and the average retail price in the first half of the year was 40.56 HUF. He criticized the fact that in the last few weeks, in some cases, the supermarket chains had announced unjustified action, he said that the price drop was not justified by the market processes, and there was no oversupply of eggs either on the Hungarian or the EU market.

Imre Szép, president of the Egg Association, previously said they would negotiate prices with retailers. In addition, they are initiating a consultation with supermarket chains to revise their earlier commitment to no cage eggs or EU-compliant eggs in stores from 2025, although the transition to environmentally friendly housing technology in Hungary will cost $ 14-16 billion in 2012, and at the level of EUR 2.1-2.3 billion. He emphasized that consumers are often unaware of the differences between different housing methods, such as the fact that EU-conform cage housing has the smallest ecological footprint, a housing technology that puts the least burden on the environment. Many people think that different rearing methods produce different quality eggs: finer and more yellow free-range, while it depends on the quality of the feed given to the animals and not on the rearing technology. According to the president, the future of the sector could be jeopardized if department stores introduce measures that would force Hungarian farmers to switch to new technology without considering sustainability aspects.