Egg prices not only rising in the Netherlands

Egg prices in early 2023 are historically high, mainly as a result of sharply rising chicken feed costs. The supply of eggs has also been smaller due to bird flu, again affecting the price. Grocery prices rose across the board, but the increase was less sharp than for eggs. In February, food products were 18.4 percent more expensive than one year previously.

Egg prices in Europe up by 31 percent on average

In the European Union, eggs were on average 31.1 percent more expensive in February than in the same month last year. However, there are large differences between countries. In Czechia, eggs were over 95 percent more expensive while in Hungary and Slovakia prices were up by nearly 80 percent. The price increase in Cyprus was substantially less sharp: less than 14 percent. Within Europe, but outside the EU, the egg price increase was smallest in Norway (8.2 percent).

Americans also pay considerably more for eggs

The United States has also seen a surge in egg prices over the past year. In February, American consumers paid 55.4 percent more for eggs than one year previously. The price of all food and drink consumed at home rose much less rapidly (10.2 percent). Last year, the United States was hit by the largest outbreak of bird flu to date.

More eggs from Ukraine

The Netherlands imported 7 million euros worth of eggs from Ukraine last year, accounting for 1.4 percent of Dutch egg imports. Before May 2022, the Netherlands imported almost no eggs from Ukraine. Meanwhile, it is the third largest destination of Ukrainian eggs within Europe; 18 percent of exported eggs go to the Netherlands.

However, the Netherlands imports most eggs from EU countries. In 2022, it imported 334 million euros worth of eggs from neighbouring countries Germany and Belgium.

Dutch egg exports account for nearly 1.5 billion euros

The Netherlands exports far more eggs than it imports. In 2022, it exported nearly 1.5 billion euros worth of eggs, with the bulk (almost three quarters) staying within the EU. At more than 700 million euros, Germany was the largest importer of Dutch eggs.

Last year, egg exports were up by nearly 29 percent relative to 2021. The increase in export value is due to the historically high price of eggs.