A few eggs short of a dozen - ABC Online

In October avian influenza shut down two poultry farms near Young in NSW, and we're now facing an egg shortage in the lead-up to the festive season.

Prices have already started to rise and while producers say eggs won't vanish off our supermarket shelves, some types will be harder to find.

Chair of the NSW Farmers Association's egg committee, Bede Burke, says more than three percent of our national flock was lost in the outbreak.

He told 1233 ABC Newcastle's Craig Zonca around half-a-million birds from the 14.5million strong national flock were destroyed.

"So it took a big chunk out of it, and it'll be probably another six months or nine months before we resume to normal production levels on those farms," Bede says.

He explains that at this time of year there's usually a "spring flush" that provides extra eggs in the lead-up to Christmas, when demand doubles.

"And that just won't be the case this year," Bede says.

However he wants to reassure consumers that the bird flu outbreak is over.

"This virus has certainly been contained," he says.

And Bede is adamant that eggs are still safe to eat.

"Consumers need not be worried in terms of consumer health," he says.

Bede advises that if there are egg-based dishes you can make ahead of time and freeze, you should do so to avoid last-minute panic buying.

"We don't have a lot of surplus eggs, normally leading into Christmas we tend to buy up," he says.

The price of eggs has already gone up and Bede predicts a couple more "modest price increases".

While Bede says he very much doubts supermarket shelves will be empty of eggs, he does expect some categories of eggs will be unavailable and shoppers might have to change to a different type than they're used to buying.

"We don't realise how big a part of our diets eggs are," he says.

"Custards and meringues, and then the hard-boiled or the poached or the fried or scrambled eggs for breakfast, and the omelettes and the quiches, it just goes on and on."