Shoppers who went into Coles to buy eggs were shocked to see empty shelves and have now complained to both Coles and Woolworths on social media.
“Unfortunately there is an industry-wide shortage,” Coles replied to a customer on Twitter.
“We’re working hard with our Suppliers to have this fixed asap. Sorry!”
Apparently, producers are under pressure to meet new free-range regulations and rising demand and now we have been left with an egg shortage across Australia.
This means free-range options have been poached from shelves, leaving shoppers with little choice but to buy caged eggs – with Melbourne and Sydney the worst hit, Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The shortage has been blamed on uncertainty over the laws, introduced in March, reports Daily Mail.
The legal definition of ‘free-range’ was limited to one chicken per square metre and now requires chickens to have “meaningful and regular access to the outside”.
Some regulations, are still being worked out,including the yet-to-be enforced size of barns and it has been reported that this uncertainty has kept farmers from building more barns to meet demand.
Coles have put up notices in their stores, saying they were “endeavouring to provide an alternative product”.
“Due to unexpected events in the industry, Eggs are in short supply,” the notices say.
The shortage is expected to last for two or three months, spokesman for Egg Farmers Australia John Coward said.
The demand could see the price in eggs surge, Mr Coward told ABC.