Recently, avian influenza in Australia
It can be said that it is menacing,
Large supermarkets have limited the purchase of eggs,
There is a clear strain in the supply chain,
Egg prices also rose slightly.
Although most people are still optimistic,
But there are still Chinese who have begun to "hoard eggs",
They posted photos of "hoarding eggs",
Some claim to have "hoarded 474".
Some Chinese said,
There is a shortage of eggs in many supermarkets.
The shelves are empty.
But some people are not worried,
thinks that it is the same as the paper during the epidemic,
No need to hoard,
It's only a matter of time before supply catches up.
01
Supply is tight, and large supermarkets across Australia have restricted purchases
Recently, avian influenza has ravaged major poultry farms in Australia, resulting in the culling of millions of chickens on their backs.
This wave of the epidemic seems to show no signs of stopping, and its fluctuating effect is beginning to appear-
The purchase of eggs is limited, and there is a shortage of some shelves.
On the morning of June 28, at the Woolworths supermarket in Manly, Sydney and Eastwood, the Australian App Today reporter noticed that the egg containers were labeled with limited purchases.
"Due to supply constraints, we are currently experiencing a shortage of eggs, with a limit of 2 boxes per customer at a time."
Woolworths supermarket is limited to two boxes of eggs (Image source: Australia Today App)
Australian media said that because of the spread of avian influenza, Woolworths announced on the 27th that it would limit the purchase of eggs in stores in NSW, the ACT and Victoria, but the supply may resume next week.
The eggs on the shelves are generally sufficient, and the relatively cheap private label stocks are slightly smaller.
Costco supermarket purchase limit (picture source: Internet)
In fact, Woolworths was the last of the major supermarkets to announce a purchase restriction.
Following the first outbreak of avian influenza in Victoria, Coles has imposed restrictions on the purchase of eggs in all cities outside of Western Australia since 9 June.
Three days later, Costco supermarkets in NSW announced a limit of one box per person and confirmed that the supply chain shortage was linked to an outbreak of avian influenza at five farms in Victoria.
On the afternoon of June 29, Coles supermarket in central Sydney was out of stock (Image source: Australia Today App)
Some supermarkets in Sydney have already started to experience egg shortages.
On the 29th, at the Coles supermarket in the center of Sydney, the reporter noticed that many brands of eggs had been sold out.
02
Chinese people everywhere complain about the "egg shortage": "It's the Covid period again? "Hoarded 474"
On Chinese social media, many Chinese netizens posted complaining about the "egg shortage" encountered across Australia this month.
Netizens "hitchhiked their legs" on June 13 and posted a picture of egg shortage on XHS, with the text: "It's the Covid period again? ”
He told reporters that he saw a shortage of eggs in Woolworths, Rhodes, Sydney, that day, and he wanted to buy them but couldn't get them.
Egg shelves at Woolworths Rhodes were empty on June 13 (Image source: Xiaohongshu @ Tie Leg Leg)
He wasn't worried. "I feel that this is similar to the epidemic without toilet paper, there will always be reproduction, this is short-lived, much stronger than the epidemic."
XHS netizen "Try Bei" told reporters that on June 21, she saw the egg supply cut off in Coles, Melbourne's Point Cook district.
In addition, she recently went to a nearby chicken farm to buy eggs, and she also ate the closed door.
Coles egg shelves in Melbourne's Point Cook area were sold out on June 21 (Image source: XHS@Try it)
She said that when she went to the chicken farm, she found that it was not open.
"When I got home, I checked and found that it posted a closure notice on the Internet, and it was closed for about a week."
Netizen "Tom Cruise's rap" posted a picture of Tasmania's "egg shortage", with the text saying, "I didn't expect that we can't buy eggs where birds don't, I really don't know what to grab." ”
Woolworths supermarket "egg shortage" in central Launceston, Tasmania, June 17 (Image: Tom Cruise rap, XHS@)
He told reporters that he was not nervous about it.
"Generally, there are still some people who go in the morning, and there is no limit to buying in small supermarkets, but they are more expensive."
(Image source: XHS@ Kuwenqing)
Netizen @kuwenqing told reporters that when he went to the Costco supermarket in Ringwood, Melbourne at noon on the 17th, he found that there were only 5 or 6 boxes of eggs left.
"When I went to check out, I didn't have a box."
Today's Australian App reporter communicated with Chinese consumers offline, and most of the feedback they got was calm, they were not too worried about the follow-up supply of eggs, and they had no idea of stockpiling.
A Chinese lady who bought two boxes of eggs told reporters that she had heard about the current purchase restriction policy of large supermarkets, but she had no intention of hoarding eggs.
As for the slight increase in prices, she thought it was acceptable.
Chinese people buy eggs in general supermarkets (Image source: Australia Today App)
James, a Chinese, told reporters that the current egg purchase restriction has little impact on him, but he is slightly worried about the supply in the coming weeks.
"It's not that you can't eat, but in two or three weeks, no one knows."
Toilet paper shelves during the pandemic
At the same time, on Chinese social media, reporters saw that Chinese people had begun to hoard eggs in large quantities.
Some Xiaohongshu netizens said: "Sydney eggs are restricted? At this point, a fat loss man opened her refrigerator. ”
She stressed that "I bought it with Rewards Extra during the big purchase at the beginning of the month" and did not deliberately stock up.
(Image source: Xiaohongshu)
And below this post, the reporter saw that two Chinese netizens also posted a refrigerator full of eggs.
One of them, who claimed to have "stockpiled 474", pictured his fridge crammed with cartons of eggs.
(Image source: Xiaohongshu)
Someone else also showed a refrigerator full of egg cartons and said, "The same refrigerator." ”
(Image source: Xiaohongshu)
Some netizens posted worries about the purchase restriction order, "I love to eat eggs the most, and I am afraid that there will be no eggs in a few days." ”
(Image source: Xiaohongshu)
But most of the Chinese in Australia still said that they did not panic and did not stock up too much.
Some people say: "You can eat other protein supplements, you don't have to eat eggs, for example, I bought a lot of shrimp." ”
03
Huachao is tight, "It's good to have eggs now"
Today's Australian App reporter noticed that Sydney's Huachao did not implement egg purchase restrictions, but there was a shortage of supply in some cases.
On the 29th, at the "Yaohan" supermarket in the Eastwood district, there were no fresh eggs on the shelves, only salted duck eggs and preserved eggs.
The cashier said, "The eggs are gone because of the recent purchase restrictions." ”
There were no fresh eggs for sale in the "Yaohan" supermarket on the 29th (Image source: Australia Today App)
In the "Xinrenren" supermarket, the reporter saw two fresh eggs on sale, and only about half of the stock was left, and the prices of 700 grams of eggs were $6.5 and $7.4 respectively.
Even though the price has risen slightly from before, the store staff still said that the current inventory is relatively tight.
"New People" supermarket eggs (Image source: Australia Today App)
At the "General" supermarket, the reporter saw that the stock of eggs was relatively sufficient, with 600 grams of eggs costing $4.99 A$, 700 grams of eggs for $5.38 A$, and 800 grams for $6.99 A$.
Boss Li told reporters that after the avian flu, the price of egg purchases generally increased by 6% to 10%. "We digested a lot ourselves, and now it's good to have eggs."
Chinese people buy eggs in "general" supermarkets (Image source: Australia Today App)
Although he said that "there is no problem with supply at present" and "there is no limit to purchase", he is also worried about the future. "The most important thing is to find eggs, [because of the bird flu] so many chickens have been killed, it takes time for the chicks to grow to be able to lay eggs, and the later (the egg shortage) will be worse."
On the other hand, the reporter found that the supply of online Huachao is sufficient.
(Image source: Umall)
Andrew, the person in charge of Umall supermarket, said, "At present, there is no adjustment of the price because of the price increase of the supplier, and we are ready to sell it at a low price, and even if the market demand for eggs is more feedback, we will reduce the price again." ”
He said that this is due to cross-state sourcing, "which can be transferred from other states to ensure that users can buy eggs on our platform." ”
For egg dealers, they are the first to experience the threat of avian influenza, in addition to chicken farmers in epidemic areas.
Yan is one of the few Chinese egg distributors and his company, Select Supplier, represents eggs from several well-known farms for distribution throughout Sydney.
She told reporters that once the bird flu "hits", thousands of chickens will die within hours. For farms, the damage was like a tsunami.
As a result, "every farm has now upgraded its protective measures, and each link is wearing different colors of protective clothing, just like the emergency room during the epidemic." ”
The eggs purchased by Yan have arrived (Image source: Courtesy photo)
Regarding the current situation of egg supply in Australia starting to be tight after the outbreak in Melbourne, it explained that it takes 22 weeks for a chick to hatch to lay eggs, and due to the large number of chicken deaths, the farm cannot immediately replenish the hens that can lay eggs.
"It usually takes nine months or even a year to restore the normal supply level of eggs."
For her, "we're currently losing 20%-30% of our normal supply, and we're raising the price of a carton of eggs by $10-$15." ”
Yan also said that the cost of protection has also increased while farm production has decreased, "so eggs will cost $1 to $1.5 for a dozen eggs to consumers." ”
For Chinese farmers outside the epidemic area, although they are not in the center of the "storm", they have taken precautions and trembled.
Emily (not her real name), a Chinese national, runs a small free-range farm in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, far from the avian flu outbreak area.
She told Australia Today that the NSW Food Safety Authority demarcated that the epidemic area is within 20 kilometers of the outbreak. "But in fact, for birds, 20 kilometers is equal to the doorstep."
Therefore, she has taken action as soon as possible to prevent problems before they occur.
Earlier this month, when she learned that the first case of avian influenza H7N8 had been detected in a large chicken farm in Sydney's West End, she directed poultry, including chickens, ducks and geese, to an enclosed area to isolate contact with the birds.
Three days later, the second case of avian flu broke out, and she had to activate the "emergency plan" again: "cancel the freshly slaughtered category", "send chickens to slaughter in batches or sell them locally".
As a result, the amount of eggs produced on the farm will be greatly reduced, so "some channels will stop supplying, and 'Solitaire' will limit the quantity".
She told reporters that only chicken farms close to the epidemic area will have mandatory requirements, and her own emergency measures are "all personal actions".
"No one on the nearby farm did it but me, but I was cowardly and didn't want to go through what I foresaw," Emily said.
In winter, the production of free-range eggs was already declining, and the arrival of avian flu made her feel "worse". But the only way she can do to prevent herself is to close off the birds, slaughter the birds that have been in contact with wild birds before, and sell some of them healthy.
(图片来源:Sky News)
She is worried that the mountain rain is coming, and "the cold winter of the industry is coming". "Once the bird flu comes, it can be very fast and difficult to control, with a lot of deaths at the beginning and then waiting for collective immunity."
"Infected farms will lose a lot, and those who are not infected will tremble, and life will be difficult, and the future will be very strict."
In addition, she is more worried that "if a chicken gets sick, trust will be seriously damaged, which is more terrible than the disease." ”
Emily would like to remind everyone that "as long as you buy eggs with a stamp from a regular channel, you will basically not have a problem; Besides, the eggs must be cooked and eaten. ”
Although avian influenza is not currently under control,
However, the farms in Australia are widely distributed,
And the affected ones are concentrated in one area,
Poultry in other areas were not affected.
Therefore, there is really no need to stock up on eggs.
Plus eggs have a "shelf life",
If not consumed in time,
Easy to deteriorate, yellow,
Affects taste and health.
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