Earlier this year a new version of the report 'Competitiveness of the European Egg sector, base year 2021' was released. Please find the report here.

 

"Companies in the European Union egg sector have to comply with European legislation on animal welfare, food safety and environmental protection. Whereas the legislation aims to guarantee a high quality product, it also confronts the sector with extra costs. An example of legislation is Council Directive 1999/74/EC regulating minimum standards for the housing of laying hens in enriched cages, barn and free range systems. Countries outside the EU do not have the same extensive legislation. At the same time the EU is involved in bilateral negotiations with different partners which are intended to further liberalise trade by reducing or abolishing import levies. This causes concerns within the EU egg sector regarding its competitiveness.

 

In this report Wageningen Economic Research, an independent research institute of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, presents the results of a study on the competitiveness of the EU egg sector. The production costs for eggs and egg products are calculated for several EU and third countries based on the year 2021. Based on these data, different scenarios are outlined and their effects are calculated to illustrate the impact of lower levies and changes in exchange rates.

 

The study has been initiated and funded by the EU trade associations EEPTA (European Egg Packers and Traders Association) and EEPA (European Egg Processors Association). This report is an update of an earlier study for the year 2017 (van Horne, 2019). "