What is?
- Free-range egg production – Birds have access to the range all day; maximum flock density is 2,500 birds per hectare (inside area density is 1111 square cm per bird); birds have perches, nest boxes and scratching areas
- Barn production – Birds do not have access to range; inside density of 1428 square cms per bird; birds have perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas
- Colony cage environment – Birds do not have access to range – up to 60 birds per enclosure – area of 750 square cm per bird; birds have perches, nest boxes and scratching areas
- Conventional cage – being phased out by 31 December 2022. Note that cage eggs may still be purchased from stores until late January.
Consumption:
- Egg consumption in NZ is currently 237 eggs per person per year (as at June 2021). 20 years ago per capita was 198 eggs, 10 years ago 233 eggs and 5 years ago 240 eggs
- 50% of households claim to buy eggs at least fortnightly; 29% buy weekly
- On average households claim to buy 41 eggs a month
- New Zealand has one of the highest consumption rates in the world.
Egg Supermarket sales:
- Supermarkets account for over 50% of sales and are the only sales that are broken down by production source
- The rest of sales are: commercial baking and small retail
- Percent of supermarket sales (as at 20/11/2022):
- Conventional cage/Colony 48.1% (no outdoor access)
- Free-range 32.8% (outdoor access)
- Barn 17.5% (no outdoor access)
- Organic 0.9%
- Other 0.8%
Egg Consumers
- Eggs are a staple in kiwi homes and in their food choices. As a favorite breakfast, versatile ingredient and choice for meals we eat on average 4.6 eggs a week
- 50% of households claim to buy eggs at least fortnightly; 29% buy weekly
- On average households claim to buy 41 eggs a month
- Pakeha NZ’ers account for 54% of egg purchase volume vs 63% of the population with an average monthly household purchase of 35 eggs (vs Asian population 52 eggs per month, Maori 50, Pacifica 48 and Indian 60)
Exports/Imports
- Egg exports are primarily to the Pacific Islands, New Caledonia, PNG, Singapore and Hong Kong
- NZ’s freedom from disease is a major factor in a growing export trade for eggs.
Biosecurity
- Biosecurity is emerging as a major concern internationally with the advent of virulent strains of Avian Influenza – the avian equivalent of Foot and Mouth Disease
- NZ is free of Avian Influenza, Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bursal Disease – three of the major poultry diseases that affect poultry flocks worldwide.
- Neither eggs nor raw chicken meat can be imported into NZ for biosecurity reasons outlined above.
* Sources:
- AC Nielsen supermarket data
- MPI reports
- consumer data ex February 2021 quantitative research project
- per capita data ex NZ Govt statistics and NZ Egg industry production data
