Monday 28 November 2022

Waitrose Pledges More Support For Egg Suppliers

Following recent reports of shortages and the rationing of eggs in supermarkets, Waitrose has pledged a further £2.6m to go directly to UK egg suppliers.

The shortages have partly been blamed on a major outbreak of Avian flu. However, farmers argue that this is not the main problem, but a scapegoat, allowing the supermarket chains to distract customers from their refusal to pay egg farmers a sustainable price.

The egg industry has faced surging feed and energy costs, making production unviable for many farmers.

Waitrose noted that retailer’s farmers had “suffered through 18 months of extreme market volatility”. The retailer claims it constantly monitors the market and farming input costs, and has been increasing the price paid for eggs over the last 18 months

James Bailey, Executive Director at Waitrose, commented: “Without our farmers, we can’t function as a business. We’ve cultivated long standing relationships with ours, and paying them fairly and offering our customers free range British eggs are commitments that we simply won’t sacrifice, even when the going gets tough.

“We continue to have a good supply of 100% British free range eggs, which is testament to these strong relationships and our unwavering commitment to our farmers. As other retailers are seeing shortages, we have seen a slight rise in demand but we’re working hard to ensure we have the quality, high-welfare products on our shelves that our customers expect from Waitrose.”

Related item:
Why eggs are being rationed

NamNews Implications:
  • Waitrose has pledged a further £2.6m to go directly to UK egg suppliers.
  • A pointer for all…
  • This is all about sharing inflationary profit increases.
  • Else the hens/owners will reduce production.
  • A no-brainer issue of knife-edge economics…
#EggShortages #AvianFlu #ChickenShortages #FairShare

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