Published in Market Analysis
Europe Doubled Its Egg Imports, and Türkiye Filled the Gap
Extra-EU egg imports rose 90.8% in the first five months of 2026 and Türkiye went from 991 tonnes to 32,053, and our view is that this new supply line stays open even as European prices cool.
Martina Osmak
Director of Marketing
MeatBorsa's take
What follows in this section is our reading of the trade data, not reported fact. The confirmed European Commission figures are below it.
We think Europe has quietly built a second egg supply line, and it will not be dismantled just because domestic supply looks calmer this autumn. Türkiye moving from under 1,000 tonnes to over 32,000 tonnes of egg equivalent in five months is not spot opportunism. That kind of volume needs approved plants, cold chain, paperwork and repeat buyers, and none of that gets built for one bad winter.
Our view is that the buyers behind this are mostly processors: breakers, bakeries, pasta and sauce manufacturers who need liquid and dried egg at a predictable cost and care less about the country printed on the box. For them, the lesson of early 2026 was that a bird flu season can remove supply they had assumed was safe.
So what do we expect over the next few months? We expect European shell egg prices to keep firming into winter, because they have already turned up month on month while still sitting below last year. We expect the import line from Türkiye, Ukraine and the Balkans to stay busy rather than being switched off. And we expect the better-run buyers to keep those suppliers approved even in the weeks when domestic eggs look cheaper, because requalifying an origin in the middle of an outbreak is slow and expensive.
What we assume, and why we could be wrong
We assume the 2026/27 bird flu season again takes laying capacity out of the EU. A mild season plus flock rebuilding would let imports fall away quickly, and the new corridor would go quiet.
We assume access stays open. The EU's own rules can close a door fast: Brazilian beef, poultry and other animal products were suspended from 3 September over antimicrobial compliance. Any supplier can be delisted on a rule, not on a price.
We assume buyers will pay a little for security of supply. Many will not. With EU prices around 6% below last year, the cheapest tonne can still win every tender.
What the numbers say
The European Commission's egg dashboard, updated on 16 September, puts extra-EU egg imports at 120,496 tonnes of egg equivalent for January to May 2026. That is 90.8% more than the 63,159 tonnes shipped in the same months of 2025.
Ukraine is still the largest supplier at 60,282 tonnes, up 26.8%. Türkiye is now second at 32,053 tonnes, against 991 tonnes a year earlier. Smaller origins moved the same way: the United Kingdom at 7,371 tonnes, China at 6,044 tonnes from 821, and North Macedonia at 4,548 tonnes.
Prices tell the other half of the story:
EU average Class A egg price in week 37: €244.85 per 100 kg, up 1.5% on the week and 4.6% on the month, but 6.2% below the same week last year.
Poultry News reported on 7 September that the Commission's mid-August reading was €233.62 per 100 kg, 8.4% below the previous year, after the exceptional highs of early 2026.
EU egg exports grew too, reaching 177,011 tonnes for January to May, helped by Switzerland taking 62,723 tonnes against 20,399 a year earlier.
The chicken meat side is moving differently. The Commission's poultry dashboard, also updated on 16 September, shows the EU broiler price in week 37 at €289.89 per 100 kg, 4.2% below a year ago, while EU imports of Brazilian poultry reached 193,194 tonnes for January to May, up 27.1%.
That Brazilian flow is now interrupted. Agriland reported on 5 September that the EU had suspended imports of Brazilian beef, poultry and other animal products, and that a Commission audit of Brazil's poultry and honey chains had just been completed. Brazil's agriculture ministry says its controls were considered satisfactory, but a return to the approved list still needs a report from the Commission's health and food safety department and a vote by member states. Beef was not part of that audit.
What we are watching next
The weekly EU Class A egg price. Another month of gains would confirm that autumn is tightening the market rather than the figures simply bouncing.
Laying hen placings, and any poultry housing orders in Poland, Italy and the Netherlands.
Whether Türkiye's volumes hold once January to August trade data is published.
The audit report on Brazil, and how quickly member states vote on poultry and honey.