Many things have been put forward as the cause of the egg shortage plaguing Finland.
In the middle of March, it looked like this in a grocery store in the capital region. Joel Maisalmi
There have been many explanations for the empty egg shelves in stores.
Iltalehti has also reported on the ongoing change of hens in the hens and the increase in egg consumption.
MTK expert Mari Lukkariniemi however, brings up a third reason in his blog, which has gone completely unnoticed.
In MTK’s announcement, he urges to take a closer look at the figures for the beginning of the year. Lukkanniemi says that in December-February, 20.8 million kilograms of eggs were produced in Finland and 16.1 million kilograms were consumed. At the same time, 5.3 million kilos were exported.
– When you add these together, you quickly notice that there were about 600,000 kilos too few eggs left on the domestic market. So it’s no wonder that the shelves are empty, says Lukkariniemi in her blog.
He asks a follow-up question about why so many eggs were exported abroad, and answers his own question:
– In the end, the reason is quite simple. You can get a better price for them elsewhere. Better than what Finnish retail has been willing to pay. From the producer’s point of view, it is excellent that salmonella-free eggs are sold where you want to pay for them.
MTK’s press release states that this is perhaps the crux of the whole situation. According to it, there is actually no shortage of eggs in Finland.
– On the contrary, we produce more than 20 percent more eggs than we consume. Eggs do not only currently end up in Finnish stores, but where they get a better price, MTK’s press release summarizes.