The latest figures for the fourth quarter (Q4) and the year 2009 have just been published by the UK Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Among the highlights of the report are:

• At 6.261 million cases [1 case = 360 eggs], packing station throughput in the UK for Q4 2009 was 0.6 per cent lower than the same period of 2008.
• The total for the year stood just 0.3 per cent below the previous year's level of 24,616 million cases.
• Compared to the same period of 2008, annual production showed a fall for England and Wales, while output rose in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• The analysis of packing station output by production type continues to show some significant trends:
  • For Q4, the percentages of eggs from the different production types were as follows: cages, 53.7 per cent; barn, 4.5 per cent; free-range, 38.0 per cent; and organic, 3.7 per cent.
  • Of all UK eggs in 2009, 54.6 per cent were from caged birds, compared to 58.3 per cent in the same period of 2008.
  • Free-range eggs accounted for 37.1 per cent of all eggs produced in 2009. In 2008, the proportion was 32.4 per cent.
  • Organic production provided 4.1 per cent of UK egg output. A year ago, organic eggs accounted for 5.5 per cent of the market.
  • Barn eggs account for 4.2 per cent of production, up from the 3.8 per cent a year previously.
• The average packer-to-producer price in Q4 was 8.4 per cent higher than in the same period in 2008 at 67.3 pence. The weighted average price was 73.0 pence per dozen, up from 72.3 pence per dozen in the previous quarter.
  • The average cage egg prices in Q4 was 56.3 pence per dozen, up significantly from 50.8 pence in the same quarter of 2008 and from 54.4 pence in the previous quarter.
  • Free-range eggs prices averaged 90.1 pence in Q4, up from 84.6 pence a year previously.
  • The average price of barn eggs was 74.0 pence per dozen, up from 72.4 pence in Q4 2008.
• UK egg processors bought 1.271 million cases of eggs in Q4, well down on the 1.4.13 million cases in the same quarter in Q4 2008.
• The total for the year stands at 5.122 million cases, 13.2 per cent below the 2008 figure.
• Processed egg output was 24,268 tonnes for the quarter, 2.4 per cent below Q4 2008.
• For 2009, total processed egg output was 93,724 tonnes, which is 9.9 per cent below 2008's total.
• The amount of liquid and frozen whole eggs was 15,514 tonnes during the quarter, down from 16,898 tonnes in the same quarter last year, while other eggs products were up at 8,754 tonnes from 7,968 tonnes.
• The figures for the year stood at 63,442 tonnes of liquid and frozen whole eggs, and 30,282 tonnes of other egg products. These compare with 73,502 tonnes and 30,490 tonnes for the two categories, respectively, in 2008.
• Data on egg trade is available for the first 11 months of the year. The figures vary considerably from month to month.
  • Shell egg imports to November 2009 were 4,184 cases, while exports were 363 cases.
  • Egg products imports over the period were 2.688 million cases, while exports amounted to 157,000 cases.

Further Reading

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You can view the full report by clicking here.