The National Farmers Union (NFU) has published its first every egg sector housing survey, focusing on the age of layer hen housing.
The survey revealed a sector that is heavily reliant on aging infrastructure and facing a sharp slowdown in new buildings.
This survey provides a clear look into the conditions and capacity of the UK’s laying hen, pullet rearing and breeding sheds.
Modelled on previous NFU broiler shed age surveys, the latest report gathered information from members on the years these sheds were built, the production system, major refurbishments or conversions and the regional location.
It revealed that one fifth of laying hen sheds are more than 25-years-old, with the average shed age being around 17-years-old, pullet and breeding sheds being significantly older.
20% of the sheds in the survey have undergone major refurbishment.
From 2020 to 2025, all new building construction fell by 40%, only amounting to 120 sheds built, in comparison to the previous five-year period, 2016- 2020, where 206 sheds were built.
NFU noted that if this trend continues, UK egg production may struggle to meet growing consumer demand of high quality and affordable protein.
NFU Poultry Board chair, Will Raw said: “British egg producers have weathered an exceptionally difficult few years, and while demand for British eggs continues to grow, the slowdown in new housing development is a warning sign we cannot ignore.
“Farmers want to modernise, expand and future-proof their businesses, but they need a planning system that works and a supply chain that delivers fair, sustainable returns.”
NFU said there is a clear need for workable planning systems and a fair functioning supply chain to remove current barriers to growth, and they support responsible expansion in the sector.
Doing this would give producers needed confidence to invest in modern, efficient infrastructure that can support a resilient egg sector.
