EU imports of eggs and egg products from third countries rose by 82.2% in the first half of 2026. Exports fell by 18.5%, and the EU’s trade surplus in volume terms narrowed. The figures are from the European Commission’s Eggs – Market Situation dashboard, updated on 14 October 2026.
Türkiye accounts for much of the import growth
Extra-EU imports totalled 144,300 tonnes in egg equivalent between January and June 2026, against 79,207 tonnes in the first half of 2025, according to Eurostat.
Imports from Türkiye reached 37,390 tonnes, roughly 21 times the 1,775 tonnes recorded a year earlier. Ukraine was still the EU’s largest external supplier, with 72,635 tonnes, up from 58,669 tonnes in 2025. The two countries together supplied more than three-quarters of the eggs and egg products imported from outside the EU.
China’s volumes rose from 1,020 to 7,106 tonnes. The United Kingdom supplied 9,082 tonnes, an increase of 28.9% over the previous year.
Lower exports to the UK and Japan
EU exports to third countries amounted to 163,170 tonnes in egg equivalent during the first six months of 2026. In the same period of 2025, they had reached 200,226 tonnes.
The United Kingdom continued to be the main destination, with exports of 64,271 tonnes, down from 78,902 tonnes a year earlier. Exports to Japan were down 8.4% at 27,020 tonnes.
Switzerland purchased 27,897 tonnes, 15% more than in the first half of 2025. South Korea received 5,200 tonnes, up 10%.
The EU’s trade surplus in volume terms contracted from 121,019 tonnes in January–June 2025 to 18,870 tonnes in the first half of 2026.
Egg prices in early October
At EU packing stations, the average price of Class A eggs was €247.03 per 100 kg in week 41 (5–11 October 2026). This was 10.8% below the level recorded a year earlier.
Prices were down 0.2% week-on-week and up 0.9% compared with the previous month.
Prices differ by production method. Organic eggs are the most expensive category in the Commission’s price series, followed by free-range and barn eggs. Cage-produced eggs have the lowest prices.
EU egg production: 2024 estimates
The production figures available in the dashboard refer to 2024. Forecasts prepared by Member State experts put total EU output at 6.664 million tonnes, including eggs for consumption and hatching.
France led production with 1.008 million tonnes. Germany and Spain followed closely, at 970,000 and 962,000 tonnes respectively.
Italy ranked fourth with 804,000 tonnes, ahead of Poland (670,000 tonnes) and the Netherlands (573,000 tonnes).
Laying-hen housing across the EU
Non-cage systems account for 65.5% of the EU’s reported maximum laying-hen capacity, according to the figures presented for 2025.
Of the 391.6 million laying-hen places reported, 42.3% are in barn systems, 34.5% in enriched cages, 16.6% in free-range systems and 6.5% in organic production.
The figures measure housing capacity, not the number of hens actually present on farms. The 2025 overview also includes older national data: Greece (2020), the Netherlands (2023), Portugal and Hungary (2024).
Enriched cages represent only 0.7% of laying-hen capacity in Germany. In Poland, the share is 62.2%, and in Spain it reaches 59.8%.
Italy has around 44.2 million laying-hen places. Barn systems account for 56.7% of capacity, followed by enriched cages at 33.2%. Organic production represents 5.1%, slightly above the 5.0% recorded for free-range systems.
Source: European Commission, Eggs – Market Situation Dashboard, updated 14 October 2026. Data from Eurostat and Member State notifications.
