Sweets, Easter cookies and sweets. These are some of the things that we associate with the holiday that is now upon us. But the most popular is probably eggs – in all their forms. Swedes eat around 70 million eggs during Easter, according to the industry organization Swedish Egg.
Last year, however, Sweden was hit by a shortage of eggs, which hit Easter. And even at Christmas there were still empty shelves in some stores.
But this Easter is saved – and there will be enough people both for when the eggs have to be painted and eaten.
– That will be enough. We are not worried that there will be a lack of eggs. The situation has stabilized a little because we have been able to import some eggs. So everyone will get their eggs this Easter, says Marie Lönneskog Hogstadius, operations manager at the industry organization Swedish Eggs.
Imports from the EU and Ukraine
Last year, Sweden’s largest egg producer CA Cedergren was forced to cull approximately 1.3 million laying hens after a salmonella outbreak, which has led to a shortage of eggs. The bird flu, which affected producers throughout Europe, has also played a role.
Which countries are the eggs imported from?
– Mainly the neighboring countries, such as Finland and Denmark. But there are also eggs further afield, such as the Netherlands. Even from third countries, outside the EU, and then it’s Ukraine, she says.
How do you ensure animal husbandry?
– The imports that take place from the European countries are handled by our members. There, our packers, who receive the eggs, have good control and visibility. Ukraine is not part of the EU, so we don’t have very good insight into what regulations Ukrainian production has. We know that there is a lot of cage production over there, and then we don’t know how much antibiotics they use. In Sweden, we have no antibiotics, says Marie Lönneskog Hogstadius.
But it still feels okay to import from Ukraine without you having full transparency?
– The eggs that are imported from Ukraine, they are not imported by members of Swedish Eggs. So I have no insight into how that control is done.
Self-sufficient again in the fall
At the same time, it is a different reality that egg producers in Europe and the world are facing.
– There have been huge losses as many flocks have been affected by bird flu. We also had a small outbreak on Gotland last summer. So it is a new situation for us, that bird flu figures. That’s why we have to work a lot with good infection control, so that the virus doesn’t find its way into the stables, says Marie Lönneskog Hogstadius.
How much longer will we have to import eggs?
– When Sweden gets back up and running with its production at one hundred percent, then we won’t have to import any more. Sweden is self-sufficient in eggs, when it is normal.
When are we there?
– During the summer here, production will start, and will approach 100 percent during the autumn, says Marie Lönneskog Hogstadius.