Norway's egg shortage expected to last throughout the year
Norwegian supermarkets have grappled with a widespread shortage of eggs since last spring, with the shortages making national headlines numerous times over the past 12 months.
Despite initial assurances that there wouldn't be any egg supply issues for Easter or after that, reports of shortages have been cropping up throughout March and April.
READ MORE: Why there are currently no eggs in supermarkets in Norway
Now, it appears that the lack of Norwegian eggs is set to persist for some time.
On Friday, Nortura, the agricultural cooperative in Norway responsible for the egg market, said there may be a slight shortage of Norwegian eggs in the shops until the end of 2024.
The reason is that too few eggs are produced in Norway, according to the cooperative.
"In an attempt to recruit more producers, Nortura has increased the price we pay for eggs to our producers. We hope that this leads to more people going into the business so that egg production goes up and Nortura's egg deliveries increase," communications advisor Matilda Aronsson at Nortura said in a press release.
The shortage of Norwegian eggs will be addressed with imported eggs, according to Nortura.
How we got here: Supply cuts and external factors
In 2023, Nortura offered compensation to farmers to reduce egg production due to concerns about overproduction.
However, since then, increased demand has arisen due to disease outbreaks across Europe and a weakened Norwegian krone.
During the winter, Nortura opted to release more eggs for wholesale purchase.
This resulted in more eggs being bought as food production ingredients, reducing the quantity available on supermarket shelves.
Efforts to address the shortage
The shortage of Norwegian eggs will be addressed with imported eggs. Nortura said imports were necessary due to a combination of Norwegian policies and external circumstances beyond their control.
Additionally, the Norwegian government also took action in February by maintaining zero tariffs on egg imports.
The objective was to ensure a sufficient egg supply by allowing the food industry to procure eggs from abroad while using domestically produced eggs to restock grocery store shelves.
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Despite initial assurances that there wouldn't be any egg supply issues for Easter or after that, reports of shortages have been cropping up throughout March and April.
READ MORE: Why there are currently no eggs in supermarkets in Norway
Now, it appears that the lack of Norwegian eggs is set to persist for some time.
On Friday, Nortura, the agricultural cooperative in Norway responsible for the egg market, said there may be a slight shortage of Norwegian eggs in the shops until the end of 2024.
The reason is that too few eggs are produced in Norway, according to the cooperative.
"In an attempt to recruit more producers, Nortura has increased the price we pay for eggs to our producers. We hope that this leads to more people going into the business so that egg production goes up and Nortura's egg deliveries increase," communications advisor Matilda Aronsson at Nortura said in a press release.
The shortage of Norwegian eggs will be addressed with imported eggs, according to Nortura.
How we got here: Supply cuts and external factors
In 2023, Nortura offered compensation to farmers to reduce egg production due to concerns about overproduction.
However, since then, increased demand has arisen due to disease outbreaks across Europe and a weakened Norwegian krone.
During the winter, Nortura opted to release more eggs for wholesale purchase.
This resulted in more eggs being bought as food production ingredients, reducing the quantity available on supermarket shelves.
Efforts to address the shortage
The shortage of Norwegian eggs will be addressed with imported eggs. Nortura said imports were necessary due to a combination of Norwegian policies and external circumstances beyond their control.
Additionally, the Norwegian government also took action in February by maintaining zero tariffs on egg imports.
The objective was to ensure a sufficient egg supply by allowing the food industry to procure eggs from abroad while using domestically produced eggs to restock grocery store shelves.
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