M&S has called on the government to provide more support to egg producers in the wake of avian flu and inflationary pressures.
According to the retailer’s head of agriculture and fisheries, Steve McLean, more support from industry and government is needed for farmers to manage cost pressures and avian flu.
“This could be in the form of grants that are linked directly to sudden cost increases, whether that is because of inflation, energy bills or managing avian flu,” he said.
M&S said the number of laying hens had fallen by 12% in recent years and was expected to fall further due to soaring production costs and the impact of this year’s worst-ever avian flu outbreak.
McClean explained that avian flu, while contributing to laying hen loss, was also creating more work for farmers.
He said the government had to “decide what its position is on vaccinating hens and how quickly that can happen so we can protect flocks on an ongoing basis”.
“And finally, financial help to build more modern farms that will help reduce the spread of avian flu and create better environments for our hens when they are forced to be kept indoors to help stop avian flu spreading,” he added.
The retailer planned to have conversations with the industry and government to “build the foundations for a long-term future for UK egg production and in partnership we can avoid shortages and rationing in the years to come”.
Last month, M&S introduced rationing to two boxes of eggs per customer due to a “spike in demand”, but emphasised that it still had a “good supply”.
It has also said its payments to egg suppliers “mirror the price of feed – when that price goes up, so does the amount we pay our suppliers,” and that it was in ongoing conversations to ensure a more stable supply chain.
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