March 13, 2014

Professor Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst, a statistical analyst at the International Egg Commission, presents findings of the impact of the ban of conventional cages in his latest statistical report: "Patterns of European egg production and egg trade after the banning of conventional cages in the EU".

Within the EU, growth was 6.3%; Professor Windhorst's report shows that the recovery of the European egg production was mainly as a result of the dynamics in some Eastern European countries. 

Sub-regions within Europe varied dramatically - Eastern Europe experienced the highest absolute and relative growth; Northern Europe and Southern Europe also experienced growth; Western Europe was the only European sub-region to experience a decrease in egg production, with production falling by 9.3% between 2000 and 2012.

In 2000, three European countries ranked among the top 10 egg producing countries - Russia, France and Germany; in 2012, three European countries were still in the global top 10, but these were Russia, France and Ukraine.

Up until 1988, Europe was the leading continent in egg production; after 1988 Asia took the number one position, and it remains so today.  Between 2000 and 2012 Asia saw the fastest growth in global egg production, almost 7.7 million tonnes.

From 2000 to 2012, total global egg production grew by 28.3%, or over 14.4 millio tonnes.  However, global egg production volume is still approximately one million tonnes lower than it was in the late 1980s.