Wedoany.com Report-Nov. 28, UK egg production reached a record high in the third quarter of 2025, increasing by more than 5 percent year-on-year to 268.3 million dozen eggs, according to official government data released in November.

Shell eggs accounted for 241.3 million dozen (up 11.4 million dozen) and processed eggs contributed 27 million dozen (up 1.6 million dozen). This marks the seventh consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth in domestic output.

For the first nine months of 2025, total egg production for human consumption rose 4.6 percent to 789 million dozen. Over the past two years, cumulative production has increased by 9.6 percent.

The average wholesale price in Q3 2025 was 148 pence per dozen, a 1.8 percent rise from the same period in 2024 but marginally lower than the 148.5 pence recorded in Q2 2025.

The shift away from colony cage systems continues. Intake of colony eggs at packing stations fell to 45.9 million dozen in Q3, down 12 percent from 2024 and representing only 17.3 percent of throughput. In Q3 2020, colony eggs totalled around 100 million dozen.

Free-range production has been the primary beneficiary, rising from approximately 125 million dozen in Q3 2020 to nearly 190 million dozen this quarter, now accounting for 70 percent of the market.

Lucy Sanderson, NFU poultry board member, said: "In 2024 we produced 11.9 billion eggs in the UK, which represents a self-sufficiency figure of 88%. As Brits, we each eat on average 199 eggs per year, which is 26 eggs per person more than we were eating 20 years ago."

The sustained growth reflects continued investment in UK egg farming and strong domestic demand for British-produced eggs across all major systems.