Recent trends in day-old chick placings for layers suggest that December could be the strongest month yet for the UK egg market.

Cut-backs in chick placings during the summer should have maximum impact this month. Coinciding with the usual seasonal surge in demand, it promises a lively few weeks in the egg trade.

However, the underlying strength of the market this autumn is only partly explained by chick placings, because the first-year flock (birds in their first year) is not calculated to be any greater than in the early summer, and only about 2% down on a year ago.