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Czech Republic: Industry Update

In the run up to the next IEC Annual Marketing and Production Conference, being held in Prague in September, Dagmar Tumova, Chair of the Czech Moravian Poultry Union, has provided the IEC with an in-depth market report from the Czech Republic, detailing the latest trends and issues facing the Czech egg industry.

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Eggs are an essential component in Czech cuisine and Czech farmers are making the change in their laying farm technology to enriched cage systems predominantly, followed by aviary and barn systems.

The Czech Republic Ministry of Agriculture has provided beneficial conditions for egg producers to easily obtain subsidies from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).  This has been pivotal in supporting Czech farmers in their decision to change the technology on their farms.

There are a number of other issues faced by the Czech industry, as follows:

There has been a reduction in the production of eggs in the Czech Republic which is partly due to cheap imports of eggs affecting price.  In general eggs are purchased according to the cheapest price and quality is not closely monitored.  This results in Czech supermarkets buying imported eggs, as many EU countries export their surplus eggs to the Czech Republic at a very low price, and Czech producers cannot compete with these low prices.

Egg consumption in the Czech Republic for 2009 was 258 eggs per person.  This is a slight reduction from 2008 when the egg consumption was 270 eggs per person. There is a fear amongst the general public of Salmonella and high Cholesterol and there currently is not the support of medical advice and reports to counteract this perception.