THE price of eggs soared by almost 50 per cent last month, says a report.
Six Tesco Big & Free large eggs jumped by 47.1 per cent from £1.70 to £2.50 — the UK’s biggest monthly increase.
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The line is now 56.3 per cent dearer than it was in October, according to a study by The Grocer mag.
Eggs in Aldi, Waitrose, Lidl and Iceland also rose.
Year on year, an average pack of eggs at big stores is up by 33.5 per cent.
The price rises are a continuation of hikes put through across retailers in previous months.
In January, The Grocer reported price increases of up to 18.2% in a month.
This followed shortages of eggs across most major supermarkets late last year after hard-up producers reined in production or left the sector altogether due to soaring production costs.
And some retailers are still seeing shortages as a result.
The latest retail price increases were welcomed by Robert Gooch, CEO of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, who suggested they were now starting to have a positive impact on production.
“They’re getting close to being enough. Farmers are seriously considering going back into production now,” he said.
Free range producers were now making a margin of two pence a dozen on average, Gooch added.
SLICED CHICKEN
Shoppers face a chicken shortage after bird flu forced farmers to cut stocks by ten per cent.
