Egg prices in Northern Europe continue to rise significantly as Easter approaches. Packing stations are still struggling to meet full demand. The shortage is particularly severe in Germany. Read more about the egg market.
Despite the record levels, the NOP quotation has risen again. In week 12 of 2026, prices stood at €19,52 per 100 eggs.
The market remains extremely tight. Planners at packing stations face a major challenge in preventing supply gaps. Scarcity exists at every link in the chain. This makes it more challenging than ever to meet the expected Easter demand. Based on the current situation, packing stations can only fulfill existing contracts. Hardly any eggs are being traded on the free market anymore. Supply has been weakened by animal diseases, although in practice, avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle Disease are primarily causing unrest. This sentiment leads almost immediately to rising egg prices.
Germany is rising even more sharply
In Germany, prices continue to rise as well. The Weser-Ems quotation shows that the price increased from €20,17 in week 10 to €20,60 in week 12.
The main reason for the tight German market appears once again to be that egg consumption continues to increase despite higher prices. According to data from the German National Agricultural Information Centre (BZL), per capita consumption rose by 1,6% in 2025: from 248 to 252 eggs. Total consumption, including eggs processed into products, amounted to 21 billion eggs. Of these, Germany produced 15,3 billion eggs itself.
Meanwhile, production in Germany showed a slight increase, despite a contraction of the poultry population. In 2025, the number of laying hens decreased slightly to 51,1 million animals, approximately 400.000 fewer than a year earlier. This decline can be explained, among other things, by mortality due to animal diseases. At the same time, productivity improved: in 2025, a laying hen produced an average of 299 eggs, four more than in 2024. As a result, total egg production for consumption increased slightly, despite the smaller livestock population.
The Netherlands dominates exports
In addition, it is once again evident how strongly German egg prices influence the Dutch market. In 2025, egg imports decreased slightly by 1,3%, while imports of processed egg products, such as egg powder, egg yolks, and egg whites, actually increased by 6%. On balance, this led to a modest increase in total imports of 0,8%.
The Netherlands remained by far the most important supplier, with a share of 69%, followed by Poland with nearly 16% and Belgium with approximately 3,4%. At the same time, imports proceeded more difficultly than in previous years, partly due to declining stocks in the Netherlands and the consequences of avian flu outbreaks in several European countries.