The most recent main meals provider to go up in flames, after many years of meals suppliers not going up in flames, is New Zealand’s largest egg producer – after a blaze broke out on Monday, killing round 75,000 hens.

The fireplace at Zeagold farm had “taken the higher a part of the day to include,” in response to the corporate, including that twelve staff on the positioning had been “unhurt however very distressed.”

Previous to the fireplace, New Zealand farmers estimated that the nation wanted one other 300,000 hens to cope with a nationwide egg scarcity, The Guardian reviews.

The spokesperson added that whereas it was nonetheless too early to evaluate how a lot the fireplace would have an effect on the availability chain, “There can be some affect clearly – it’s not a fantastic factor to occur in the midst of a scarcity.“

New Zealand has been within the grip of an egg scarcity for the reason that begin of the yr, when it put an finish to battery farming. The ban had been within the works since 2012 and battery hen numbers had dropped over time to make up simply 10% of total egg manufacturing – however their remaining outlawing at first of January has nonetheless been sufficient to jolt the egg provide chain, leaving grocery store cabinets empty, store homeowners policing tray purchases and big-breakfast lovers bereft.

The scarcity has reached the purpose of rivalry: one small-town grocery store banned a cruise ship crew from additional egg purchases after they cleared the cabinets; newspapers have issued recommendation columns on egg-free baking and tofu scrambles; and in January, the SPCA launched an advisory telling New Zealanders to not have interaction in kneejerk purchases of again yard poultry, after issues {that a} rise in novice rooster possession would end result within the animals not being correctly cared for. –The Guardian

“Egg provides are tight, so this won’t help in any method,” mentioned Michael Brooks, government director of the Egg Producers Federation.

The fireplace comes roughly one week after one in every of America’s prime egg suppliers, Hillandale Farms, burned down, killing as much as 100,000 chickens.

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