Bird flu outbreaks tighten Dutch egg supply as prices keep climbing

Consumers across the Netherlands are facing higher egg prices with no relief in sight as a new bird flu outbreak in Terschuur, Gelderland, tightens supplies in one of the country’s densest poultry regions, AD reports. Economists and industry groups warn that if the virus spreads further through the Gelderse Vallei, shortages could quickly hit supermarket shelves nationwide.

Retail egg prices have risen roughly a third since 2000, while payments to farmers have doubled, Wageningen University agricultural economist Nico Bondt said. Before this week’s Terschuur outbreak, poultry farmers were earning around 18 cents per egg, a level Bondt calls “historically high.” The current outbreaks make any near-term price drop unlikely.

Packing stations in the Gelderse Vallei, the heart of Dutch egg production, are already bracing for reduced supply. Many farms fall within the 10-kilometer restriction zones surrounding infected operations, sharply limiting deliveries. Eicom in Barneveld reports that deliveries have nearly halted. Owner Jeffrey van Hamersveld said, “For the next 72 hours, we will receive almost no eggs. Most of our suppliers are very close to each other inside the restricted zone. The chance that stores will have sufficient eggs next week is small.”

The region’s high density of farms increases the risk of rapid virus spread. The Terschuur outbreak is the first in the Gelderse Vallei this year, but marks the 14th infected poultry operation nationwide. Farmers and the government fear that further outbreaks could force the entire Veluwe into lockdown, triggering major egg shortages, Kees de Jong, chair of the poultry division of LTO/NOP, told AD.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality called the situation “tense.” Authorities are tracing all contacts made by the Terschuur farm to determine whether the virus may have traveled between companies. While wild birds remain the primary source, farm-to-farm transmission is also possible.

Broader factors have already pushed egg prices higher, including the global spread of bird flu, rising global demand, and shrinking production capacity in the Netherlands. Government buyout programs have reduced the national chicken population from about 33 million to under 30 million, leaving the market more vulnerable.

Packing stations are struggling under strict containment rules. Hardemann Egg Group, also in Barneveld, said its nationwide supply chain can hold for three days, but new logistical barriers will slow production afterward. Trucks must now collect eggs farm by farm within the 10-kilometer zones, bringing each load to an intermediate point for full sanitation before moving to the next farm. Each round adds hours of lost time, sharply reducing efficiency.

“If new outbreaks occur, operations could halt entirely,” a Hardemann employee said. “Then the cycle repeats, and eventually our inventory will run out.”