EU egg market becomes more competitive
Major EU egg producers, incl. Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, had production peaks between 2002 and 2004. An exception is Spain, increases production to become the top EU producer in 2007.
Norel & Nature reports that Spain reached 1 mln tonnes for the first time in 2007, taking the lead from France.
Among the top 10 producers, only Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland increased their production between 2006 and 2007. Spain had a 12 % increase, while the Netherlands grew by 3%.
Meanwhile, France’s production was reduced by 1% while UK output dropped by 4%. Egg prices were generally good in 2007, but huge increases in feed costs outweighed the situation. More than ever, reduction of the number of defective eggs constitutes a fundamental issue of the poultry industry for both sanitary and economical reasons.
EU egg production (x 1000 t) Selected figures (1997 – 2007) for top 10 producers
| Country | 1997 | Peak (year) | 2007 |
| Spain | 662 | 1031 (2007) | 1031 |
| France | 992 | 2021 (2004) | 955 |
| Germany | 836 | 859 (2002) | 778 |
| Italy | 638 | 790 (2002) | 743 |
| The Netherlands | 608 | 638 (2002) | 633 |
| Poland | 460 | 548 (2007) | 548 |
| UK | 562 | 562 (1997) | 514 |
| Hungary | 339 | 343 (2003) | 310 |
| Belgium + Lux | 239 | 239 (1997) | 171 |
| Czech Republic | 190 | 190 (1997) | 150 |
| EU – 25 | 6367 | 6774 (2004) | 6662 |
Table source: Poultry World
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