Norway needs more eggs

Nortura, Norway’s agricultural cooperative, assured the public in March that it was addressing the shortage of eggs .

Agriculture Minister Geir Pollestad also stepped in to assure an interviewer for the NRK state broadcaster, “There will be enough eggs at Easter.”

But despite government pledges and Nortura’s efforts, eggs were still disappearing from supermarket shelves by early May and a spokesperson did not rule out “a slight shortage” until the end of 2024.

Norway’s supply is currently not meeting demand because in 2023 the agricultural authorities, worried about potential over-production, offered farmers compensation to cut down on the number of eggs on the market.

But the government could not have foreseen that demand would increase owing to outbreaks of salmonella and enteritis  in European egg farms, while Norway’s weakened currency did not assist imports and shoppers were snapping up cheaper, domestic eggs.

Nortura also decided to provide more eggs for the food industry but this only resulted in fewer eggs going to retailers.

Nortura has now upped the price it pays to producers in hopes that more will turn to egg production to make up the shortfall, Communications spokeswoman Matilda Aronsson explained.

In the meantime, the government is maintaining zero tariffs on egg imports, enabling food manufacturers to use imported eggs in their products, with domestic production allocated to shops and supermarkets.