The price of half a dozen eggs rose 87% between December 2022 and December 2025, from €1.14 to €2.12, reflecting strong demand and a shortage of supply worldwide, due to the persistence of avian flu cases in several countries. The price this year has skyrocketed by almost 32%.

The association representing distribution companies tells ECO that "retailers have sought to mitigate these effects with strategies that involve crushing margins." The National Association of Egg Producers (Anapo) believes that distributors “are reducing margins,” but that “the price increase is also passed on to the consumer.”

According to data from Deco sent to ECO, between January 1st and December 10th of this year alone, the price of half a dozen eggs increased from €1.61 to €2.12, representing an increase of almost 32%.

Avian flu

This year's rise is related to the most recent outbreak of avian influenza, at a time when the European Commission updated the protection and surveillance zones against highly pathogenic avian influenza (GAAP) due to the appearance of 74 new cases in poultry farms in Member States. In the second week of December, Portugal recorded two more new cases of avian influenza in Lisbon and Aveiro, registering 50 outbreaks of infection since the beginning of the year.

The leader of the National Association of Egg Producers (Anapo) explains to ECO that the rise in egg prices stems from several factors, namely "the increase in production costs in recent years, with a particular impact on feed," "bird flu," and "increased consumption."

The Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED) corroborates Paulo Mota's idea and states to ECO that "the price of eggs has been increasing for reasons external to retail," namely "the various episodes of bird flu, legislative changes that have affected production, and the increase in consumption, not only seasonally, but more continuously."

Given this context, APED assures that "retailers have sought to be even more efficient in mitigating these effects of market volatility, and that this involves various strategies that surely include squeezing margins on these products," although it emphasises that each "retailer has its own strategy and APED does not interfere in the commercial strategies of its members."

The president of the National Association of Egg Producers anticipates that a possible price increase for eggs next year “depends on the evolution of avian influenza.” “If the number of cases starts to increase in Europe and the world, we may see an increase in prices due to scarcity,” predicts Paulo Mota.