Group assures sufficient egg supply in April, May following bird flu threat

The Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA) has said that no shortage of eggs is expected in April or May. This comes after Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. warned that the country might face a supply shortage in those months, even though the Philippines has not yet experienced a widespread bird flu outbreak.

“We do not expect any shortage of eggs in the coming April and May,” PEBA president Francis Uyehara said in a radio interview on Sunday.

“In our projection, we have enough supply of eggs at least until April and May,” he stressed, noting that egg production this year is higher compared to the same month last year.

Thus, Uyehara said egg prices would not increase significantly, as price hikes for the product typically occur only during Christmas and New Year.

On Saturday, the Agriculture chief warned that the country could face an egg supply shortage by April, citing last year’s oversupply and weak demand, which caused egg prices to drop. This led many local producers to cull their egg-laying hens.

“This significantly reduced the population of egg-laying hens, potentially impacting future supply,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture assured that proactive efforts are in place, including expediting the importation of egg-laying chickens and pushing for the immediate approval of avian influenza vaccines by the Food and Drug Administration.

The agency is also working to secure the P300 million requested by the National Livestock Program to fund vaccine testing, with possible mass inoculation beginning as early as March.

“We still have time, so there is a chance we could avert this,” Laurel said, urging financial institutions to provide funding for the industry’s repopulation efforts.