Egg shortage in Poland due to bird flu: prices are rising, there will be no Easter promotions

Poland has experienced an egg shortage due to the mass culling of laying hens caused by outbreaks of bird flu. According to the National Chamber of Poultry and Poultry Farmers of Poland (KIPDIP), a total of about 6 million laying hens were culled in the country, which significantly affected the market. This is reported by TVP Info.

According to the director of KIPDIP, Katarzyna Gawronska, there will be no Easter discounts on eggs this year.

“Consumers should not count on traditional spring promotions related to the holidays. However, the industry is doing everything possible to avoid excessive price increases,” she noted.

According to KIPDIP estimates, about 1.7 million laying hens disappeared from the market between October and December 2024 due to the bird flu epidemic and official measures to eliminate it. In 2025, 5 more large flocks were destroyed, which further reduced the number of laying hens by 4.3 million.

In addition, last year there was low activity among farmers in increasing the number of livestock. As a result, the total number of chickens in Poland decreased by almost 5 million. According to Gawronska, the supply of eggs this spring may be 20% lower than during the Easter period in 2024.

The two largest egg-producing regions in Poland have been particularly affected – the central and western parts of Greater Poland, as well as northern Mazovia. In addition, some farms that managed to overcome the virus cannot resume work due to repeated outbreaks of infection on neighboring farms.

Egg prices began to rise in August 2024. In January-February 2025, they increased by tens of percent.

Bird flu has not only affected Poland – significant outbreaks have been recorded in the leading producing countries of Europe and the United States. In the United States, the number of laying hens has decreased by about the same amount as in Poland, which creates global pressure on egg prices.

However, according to Gawronska, Poland has a certain reserve of production capacity, which mitigates the situation.

“In the US, there are about 1.25 chickens per capita, and in Poland – almost 1.5. However, the situation may worsen, since bird flu is still present in the country, and it is unknown how events will develop further,” she stressed.

Tags: eggs, Poland