Call for free range egg price increase

The main retailers have increased the selling price of free range eggs, prompting producers to push for a minimum 5p/doz increase.

Poultry World’s Price Index Indicator shows that the retail price of a dozen free range eggs had increased by 10-12p a dozen over the last month.

This puts the retail price of a dozen large free range eggs at £1.98.

The price rise prompted British Free Range Egg Producer Association chairman Tom Vesey to hit out at the retailers’ reluctance to pass on some of the extra cash to packers and producers.

He highlighted that the association had been pushing for retail prices to be increased ever since they were slashed earlier this year.

He added: “Our members are currently losing money on every dozen eggs they produce and the future is looking pretty bleak unless we get a sizeable increase. A couple of pence a dozen certainly won’t be enough.

“The concern is that when producers do finally receive an increase, it will be swallowed up by extra feed costs. That’s why we’re pushing for at least a 5p increase. 

“If we don’t get the increase fairly soon there could be a shortage of free range eggs in the not too distant future,” he said.