Egg supply shortage looks likely

All feed used by Castel Farm Eggs owner Steve Brooks is sourced from the UK.

‘The situation in the egg industry is becoming very dire because the supermarkets are not giving enough of a price rise to the farmers,’ he said.

The war in Ukraine has been the catalyst for the increase – Russia and Ukraine are among the biggest growers of food in the world.

The cost of feed has risen by 30% this year and Mr Brooks expected it will increase each month. In Guernsey, that equates to an increase of around £100 per tonne.

‘Along with everything else that keeps going up, farmers have decided not to replace chickens, and leave their barns empty to save losing money.’

Farmers in the UK are calling for a 40p increase in the cost of a dozen eggs to make up for the diminishing profit margin.

‘The problem with this long term is there will be a large shortage of UK eggs in the autumn. The knock-on effect of this is there is likely to be shortages in Guernsey. We here at Castel Farm Eggs are getting great support from our local supermarkets, as we have such a good relationship with them. They are helping us with these massive cost increases.’

But he said there was only so much help that food outlets could offer.

‘We rely solely on the support of our local customers throughout the year.

‘We need the continued support from our islanders for us to keep going, so we don’t end up like UK farmers, and having to cut down on production,’ said Mr Brooks.