This year also sees the 10th consecutive year of growth for egg sales, during which time retail volume sales have grown by 1.5 billion eggs.

Last year’s sales were boosted by a particularly strong second half of the year which saw volume sales grow by 6 per cent. Market value also returned in the second half of the year, rising by 6 per cent to ensure that egg market value finished almost 3 per cent higher than 2015.

Retail sales have been driven by free range with sales up by more than 11 per cent (340 million additional eggs), as consumers continue to trade up. Organic eggs also saw significant growth, up by 16 per cent, albeit from a very small base.