A farmer has warned that shoppers may continue to see a shortage of eggs on the shelves for another year as the industry battles pressure on several fronts. 

Llyr Jones, who's 32,000 hens supply the UK's largest supermarket, Tesco, said that many farmers have left the industry off the back of a rise in energy bills, a bird flu outbreak, the invasion of Ukraine and less of a desire for caged hens. 

Supermarkets have been putting limits on the number of eggs shoppers can buy as numbers dwindle, with Asda and Lidl both only allowing customers to buy two boxes and three boxes respectively.

Egg production in the first three months of 2023 is down by nearly a quarter when compared to the same period of 2022, according to data released by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). 

And the figures reveal that egg production is down by 2.9% in England in Wales within the three-month period to 121 million dozen, the BBC reports. 

But egg imports have risen by 11% compared to the same period last year. 

Mr Jones' feed bills have also soared, going from £30,000 a month to £50,000, thanks to the invasion of Ukraine - which is one of the world's largest producers of bird feed.

In comments made to the BBC, Mr Jones said: 'A lot of farmers decided not to re-stock and that then put pressure on the market and the price of eggs was forced up.'

He called for patience from the public on when exactly eggs would arrive back on supermarket shelves, pointing out that farmers are finally starting to re-stock flocks, however it may be another year before stocks are fully replenished.

 'Now, this year, egg prices have increased for us as farmers and thankfully our costs have started to fall a bit, so we're having to recuperate the money that we lost last year,' he added.

'So, you're nearly a year until a farmer, from when he's empty, to when he can produce eggs. Now egg prices have gone up, some farmers are buying hens in now, but those eggs won't be on the market for another year,

'So, just bear with us for a bit.'

The British Retail Consortium's (BRC) Director of Food and Sustainabiliy, Andrew Opie told MailOnline: 'Supermarkets source, and will continue to source, the vast majority of their food from the UK and know they need to pay a sustainable price to farmers. 

'Given the pressure on British farmers at the moment, retailers are paying more for their produce. However, retailers are also facing additional costs and are working incredibly hard to limit price increases for consumers during a cost-of-living crisis where many people are struggling to afford the essentials.'

Sainsbury's explained to Mail Online that it understood the farming industry's tough situation, saying: 'We understand that farmers who supply our own-brand egg packers are also facing significant challenges and it is clear that this is impacting the number of eggs they are able to produce. 

'Our own-brand egg farmers are also facing significant challenges and while we do not buy eggs from farmers directly, we have steadily increased the amount we pay our packers and producers for eggs over the past 12 months. In response to high levels of inflation we accelerated our support, investing £27.2 million more than we were contractually required to.'

Tesco reported in February that it was starting to sell more white eggs due to the supply chain issues.

White eggs have been part of the grocer's standard egg range since 2020, as the demand for eggs boomed by 30% during the pandemic, but shoppers are now starting to see them more regularly in boxes.

Egg consumption in general is growing in the UK by about 3% a year, according to Mr Jones.

'We're in a cost of living crisis so eggs are one of the cheapest proteins you can buy at the moment,' he said.

On Tuesday, approximately 70 leading members of the food industry met with prime minister Rishi Sunak as part of the government's 'Farm to Fork' summit.

It was confirmed that new reviews will begin in the Autumn in the eggs and horticulture sectors to help to support the sector.

Lafan Consultancy Group agricultural consultant, Geraint Hughes said he felt that annual reviews weren't frequent enough to provide the support the sector needs.

 'It’s not reasonable to rely on annual reviews when things can change dramatically within a week,' he told Mail Online.

'We’ve seen the same situation played out with fresh produce, with some of the supermarkets appearing not to have the mechanisms in place to deal and manage sudden market changes.'