Egg shortage in France: Where to find them and when they will return

Egg shortages in France have led the agriculture minister to criticise French rules on laying hens and pushed shoppers to seek eggs outside supermarkets, as supply problems continue.

Supplies of eggs have been consistently low in France over the past few months as demand continues to outstrip supply. Avian flu outbreaks have restricted stock even more, and heavy snow in recent weeks has also caused delays as food trucks have been unable to pick up or deliver.

Demand for eggs has also been steadily rising over the past few years, with consumers turning to them as a lower-cost protein source than meat. In 2025, an additional 300 million eggs were sold compared to 2024, and the average annual consumption of eggs (all forms, including in cakes etc) rose from 226 to 240 per person.

Last year, out-of-stock rate for eggs was around 13%, compared to 2% for most other products. In some areas and supermarkets, this remained at around 15% from June onwards, up to 15.3% at hypermarkets. At one point last year, out-of-stock rates reached 18%.

The problem is continuing; shortfalls have been reported in several supermarket chains across the country since the start of 2026.

‘We need more chicken coops’

Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said that the shortage had been partly caused by a lack of hens in France, due to “too-restrictive reglementation”.

She told BFMTV-RMC today (Tuesday, January 13): “We do not produce enough, it is too complicated nowadays to build livestock buildings [and] chicken coops…France is making life difficult for farmers.”

She added that a new law, dubbed the loi Duplomb*, would “remove some of the obstacles to the construction of livestock buildings when [the law] comes into force”.

Ms Genevard said that people in France “need to accept that we need more chicken coops”, and claimed that many projects are being rejected because people “no longer want to see livestock buildings”. 

She added that some people “unfamiliar with the subject” think that chicken barns are “a place where animals are mistreated”, and called for more “solutions” for the problem.

Ongoing shortage

Egg supply problems are predicted to continue until the second trimester of 2026, as production catches up with new investment in chicken farms, and the industry recovers from avian flu.

Similarly, France is aiming to transition to 90% cage-free farming by 2030, and this has temporarily reduced egg production capacity by 20%, pending the construction of 300 new chicken coops that will comply with new laws.

As a result, shoppers may wish to look elsewhere for their eggs while waiting for supermarket supplies to return.

Supermarket alternatives

If you are seeking alternatives to your usual supermarket, these could help:

• Local farmers’ markets. Many farmers sell their eggs directly at markets, ensuring fresh produce, a very short supply chain, and better traceability. Many are from free-range farms. 

• Local buying groups. Known as ‘AMAPs’ (associations pour le maintien d’une agriculture paysanne, associations for the preservation of small-scale farming), they can often set up egg subscriptions, and usually guarantee deliveries even during wider-scale shortages.

• Independent shops. Smaller food shops and organic suppliers are often less dependent on national platforms, and instead have connections with local farmers and producers.

• Butchers. Some butchers have good relationships with local farmers, and can source eggs from the same (or nearby) farmers they use for their meat and poultry.

• Vending machines. Some rural areas have egg vending machines that are directly supplied by local farmers. This often means the farmer can provide continuous supply.

*The loi Duplomb, named after one of its proposing Senators, Laurent Duplomb, was voted through on July 8, 2025 and will come into force this year. It seeks to “remove constraints on the practice of farming”. It is controversial in some respects, however, mainly for its reintroduction of the previously-banned pesticide acetamiprid.