Costco latest supermarket to limit supply of eggs to customers

Costco is the latest retailer in Australia to limit the sale of eggs to customers, mirroring a restriction Aussies loathed during the Covid pandemic.

Costco is the latest Australian retailer to restrict the amount of eggs customers can purchase at its stores across NSW.

NewsWire understands a 30-egg limit has been introduced in NSW stores, which is likely to be rolled out to Victoria, but the supermarket would not confirm.

The supply chain issue has been linked to bird flu outbreaks on five farms in Victoria.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said about one million poultry infected with bird flu were euthanised on five farms in Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the poultry in those farms had been euthanised to ensure he virus did not spread more rapidly and become a bigger problem.

“There’s been about one million affected and euthanised, or in the process of being euthanised, which is about 4 per cent of the overall national flock, if you like, of egg-laying hens,” he said.

“But the bottom line is that every day, Australia produces 18 million eggs, and there’s no risk to that supply stopping anytime soon.”

Coles has introduced a two-carton limit in all its stores except in Western Australia.

Shoppers at all Coles stores except Western Australia have been limited to buying two cartons of eggs due to the supply chain issues.

Signs placed in stores say: “Due to a shortage of supply of eggs, we have introduced a temporary limit of two items per customer/ transaction.

“This will help maintain availability and support as many customers as possible.

“Thank you for your patience, we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

A similar message is on display for online customers.

A Coles spokesperson this week said the supermarket was liaising with suppliers to ensure shelves would still be stocked.

“We are providing support to the industry in responding to the avian flu cases in Victoria,” they said.

Industry experts said it sent the wrong message when restrictions were placed on shoppers. Picture: iStock

One of the nation’s leading industry bodies in the egg and poultry sector warned that limits might “send the wrong message”, while a leading academic in consumer behaviour warned that “this type of approach can induce panic buying”.

The incident also prompted Victorian Industry Minister Natalie Hutchins to offer reassurances regarding national egg supplies and warn against stockpiling.

About 4 per cent of Australia’s chicken stock has been euthanised due to a bird flu outbreak on five poultry farms in Victoria.

“It’s a real challenge that there’s been a fifth farm identified with the avian flu,” she told Nine’s newspapers.

“But we don’t anticipate that there’s going to be an egg shortage.

“We do know that retailers are making decisions about putting limits in place of how many you can buy, very similar to during Covid with toilet paper.

“Sometimes when there’s discussions around shortages, it promotes people’s thinking to think that they need to stock up. They don’t need to stock up. There is still some very good supply.”