MAJOR supermarkets have announced they will be limiting the number of eggs that customers can buy.

Asda is limiting customers to two boxes of eggs each and Lidl is restricting customers in some stores to three boxes.

Waitrose said no limits had been introduced but it is “continuing to monitor customer demand”.

Other major retailers including Tesco, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer and Co-op reassured customers that they continue to receive good supplies and would not be limiting sales.

Bird flu is the cause of the disruption of some egg ranges, according to the British Retail Consortium.

The limits are being put in place to minimise the impact on customers.

The country is facings its largest-ever period of bird flu, with a highly pathogenic variant circulating.

Since the start of November, birdkeepers have had to keep their animals housed and away from wildlife to reduce the spread.

When there is a confirmed outbreak on a poultry or egg farm, all the birds in the affected area are destroyed, which means fewer eggs are in the supply chain.

The demand for eggs has also increased as consumers look for cheaper protein sources to manage souring food bills.

An Asda spokesman said: “We are working hard with our suppliers to resolve the industry challenges which are currently affecting all supermarkets, and to make sure as many customers as possible can buy eggs we have introduced a temporary limit of two boxes per customer.”

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) said avian flu had heightened the issue of egg availability, after the compulsory culling of hundreds of thousands of egg-laying hens.

There were approximately 36.7 million egg-laying birds in the national flock, but there was a capacity on farms for more than 44 million.

BFREPA has also been raising concerns about retailers failing to pay farmers a fair price for months.

Farmers have seen a price rise of between five and ten pence for a dozen eggs, whereas supermarkets have increased the cost by about 50 pence.

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On Wednesday, BFREPA said it had asked Sainsbury’s for an urgent meeting after the retailer confirmed it was stocking eggs imported from Italy.

Robert Gooch, BFREPA chief executive, said: “We have been warning for months that failing to pay farmers a price which allows them to make a profit would result in mass de-stocking or, worse still, an exodus from the industry.

“Seeing Italian eggs on the shelves is a wake-up call to all retailers that they can’t expect farmers to work for nothing. Enough is enough.

“I will be writing to Sainsbury’s today to ask for a meeting to discuss how we forge a more sustainable future for egg producers.

“Sainsbury’s has made strong commitments to British free-range egg producers in the past and I hope a positive dialogue can bring about change from what is a disappointing situation.”