The latest British supermarket chain that has decided to ration eggs due to supply issues is Tesco.

Customers are now limited to purchasing three boxes of eggs at the checkout due to rising costs for poultry farmers and an avian flu outbreak.

Following in the footsteps of Asda and Lidl, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco has set limits on purchases.

The retailer claimed at the time that it had “good availability” with no restrictions, but a temporary rationing policy has now been implemented. It stated that it is working hard with its suppliers to ensure a steady supply of eggs, but that the action was taken as a precaution.

In recent months steep hikes in energy prices have  severely impacted farmers of the country, and wheat prices have risen due to the Ukraine conflict – the grain is a key component in chicken feed. They have also expressed concern about the lack of funds they receive from supermarkets for the sale of eggs.

Simultaneously, Britain’s largest-ever avian flu outbreak has prompted the government to advise farmers to confine all poultry and captive birds indoors.

Since the outbreak began in October of last year, there have been 252 cases of the virus, with 118 of them occurring since October 1 of this year. In the last year, millions of birds have died or been culled.

On Monday, the government announced that a bird flu outbreak had been discovered at a farm near Barnard Castle, Durham. All of the birds on the property will be culled, and a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been established.

“While avian flu has disrupted the supply of some egg ranges, retailers are experts at managing supply chains and are working hard to minimise impact on customers,” Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), stated Following the announcement of some supermarket restrictions last week.

“Some stores have introduced temporary limits on the number of boxes customers can buy to ensure availability for everyone.”

(Adapted from RetailGazette.co.uk)