Where’s your eggs at?

The Detail

There’s nearly as many laying hens in Australia as there are people, with Australian Eggs reporting a laying flock size of nearly 22 million chooks as at June 2021. These hens pump out an estimated 6.3 billion eggs per year with egg sales values at the supermarket reported at around A$1.1 billion in the 2021 financial year.

On a per capita basis, Australians consume 249 eggs per year (as of 2021), which at an average individual egg weight of  58 grams works out to about 14.4 kg of egg per person each year. Indeed, Australians eat more egg than sheep meat with Meat & Livestock Australia reporting lamb consumption at around 6.1 kg per person per annum.

The bulk of Australian egg consumption is from domestic chicken egg production. However, there is a trade in eggs (from all birds) with the UN Comtrade WITS database reporting on imports and exports of eggs (in and out of shell) on an annual basis. Over the last five years Australia has gone from being a net exporter of eggs to a net importer, on a value basis.

In 2021 the value of egg imports into Australia was recorded at $US11.4 million, compared to egg export values of $US 7.3 million.

Over the last five years the export trade of eggs from Australia has been dominated by five destinations, with 87% of the export trade going to these locations. The Phillipines have held top spot for Australian egg exports, based on the five-year average trade values, holding 27% of the trade. Meanwhile, Singapore and Hong Kong have been jostling for second and third place on the medal podium.

In terms of egg imports into Australia, by value, 75% of the trade flows over the last five years have been from China, USA or European sources. China sits in top spot and has accounted for just over one fifth of the import of eggs into Australia, with the USA sitting in second place on 15% of the trade. Denmark, Italy and the UK are battling out for the bronze medal at 13% of the trade apiece.