Egg shortages across several European countries

New outbreaks of avian influenza and Newcastle disease have hampered egg production in several European countries, triggering a supply deficit.

An egg shortage in wholesale is becoming tangible in Poland and several other EU member states, the Poland’s National Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers (KIPDiP) has warned, adding that the rising wholesale prices are already reflected in retail.

In October 2025, egg prices jumped by a staggering 12% compared to September. As a result, egg prices are now 50-60% higher than a year earlier, depending on the grade, KIPDiP calculated.

In August, Poland’s poultry farmers projected price stabilisation through the end of the year. Now, this forecast is no longer valid, according to KIPDiP president Katarzyna Gawrońska.

The crisis is attributed to a series of avian influenza and Newcastle disease outbreaks registered during the last few months in several European countries. For example, recently, an outbreak of the H5N1 virus was reported at the Mach Drubez farm in the Pardubice region in the Czech Republic. Around 55,000 laying hens were culled as a result.

Many farms that were hit by avian influenza earlier this year are yet to recover, which adds strain to the supply chain, as Gawrońska noted.

Poland’s Agricultural Ministry is in talks with the chief veterinary officer about introducing changes to the biosecurity and vaccination system to adequately address the crisis in the poultry industry, Stefan Krajewski, the agricultural minister, recently revealed. He admitted that the situation is difficult and that veterinary challenges affect both farmers and consumers.

Several preventive measures have been taken in Poland to avoid the US scenario, in which the country has to resort to “panic imports” to bridge the gap between supply and demand, Krajewski noted.

To protect the industry, the minister said, veterinary officials plan, among other things, to enhance vaccination against Newcastle disease and strengthen sanitary protections on poultry farms. He also guaranteed that farmers who comply with all biosecurity measures can count on compensation from the state for their losses.

Tags: outbreaks, deficit, vaccination, Newcastle disease, Czech Republic, Avian influenza, eggs, Poland, Production