Producers question their future in ‘volatile’ egg industry
Farmers have been extremely exposed to high input costs, poor returns, and the threat of disease to their flocks.
The poultry industry has been “too volatile” in the last couple of years with producers questioning their futures, as they are just about “keeping the bills paid on a very small margin”.
Farmers have been extremely exposed to high input costs, poor returns, and the threat of disease to their flocks.
Egg producers had entered 2023 in a “very bad situation”, according to Brendan Soden, vice chairman of the Irish Farmers’ Association’s poultry committee.
This followed after events in 2022 where farmers targeted retailers as part of protests, blocking the entrance for deliveries, leading to shop shelves in Co Cavan being empty of fresh produce for several days.
Mr Soden said at the time that farmers were looking for 2c more per egg to be paid back to producers – otherwise, the supply of eggs would be in jeopardy.