John Hirst, allmanhall’s Procurement Manager, says that “Biosecurity restrictions are currently in place across England, Wales and Scotland under an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone, since the latest outbreak of avian influenza was reported in November 2024.”
Hens must be kept inside to prevent the spread of the virus. Over the past three months, nearly 1.8 million farmed and captive birds have been culled.
John continues, “The reduction in flock sizes, and consequently egg supply to the UK market, has already impacted prices, but there are other concerns that will further increase costs.”
Limited supply is not the only factor affecting prices; production and supply chain costs are also rising. Higher feed prices, which account for approximately 65% of total egg production costs, along with increasing fuel costs, are contributing to the overall price surge.
Additionally, from April 2025, increases in National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage will further impact the supply chain and farming industry.
One of the major drivers of price rises is the ongoing transition to cage-free egg production. Advocacy from animal welfare organizations such as the RSPCA led to food companies working towards being completely cage-free by the end of 2025.
Moving to higher welfare eggs will increase prices by around 12% for barn-reared and 31% for free-range.
allmanhall fully supports the transition to higher welfare eggs but we understand that rising costs throughout the food industry are causing concern. We will be surveying all our boarding school clients over the coming months to ask: Will you work with us to switch to barn-reared or free-range eggs by the end of September?
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