According to The Maitland Mercury, new reports show that Australian egg stocks have halved since October 2009, reducing numbers by about 2.3 million dozen eggs a week.

Australian Egg Corporation Limited attributes the shortage to the well-publicised nutritional benefits of eating eggs, but Greta egg farmer Tony Libreri believes there are more factors at play.

“I’ve been an egg farmer for about 35 years and this is the biggest egg shortage I’ve ever experienced, and there are a few reasons for that,” Mr Libreri said.

“Demand for eggs goes up dramatically during the colder months; wherever you go people are selling egg and bacon rolls, and we just can’t keep up.”

Mr Libreri said the new regulations placed on egg farmers had also contributed to the egg shortage.

“Farmers have to spend millions of dollars on cages or get out of the business altogether, so some of the farmers have opted to leave [and] there are now less of us producing the eggs.

“We’ve also been forced into a new way of producing eggs (free-range and cage-free eggs) and this way we produce a lot less eggs, so I think this is all catching up with us.”