Taiwan has imported 50,000 layer-laying hens to fight a severe egg shortage that has hit the country, causing supermarkets to ration available products and forcing consumers to pay higher prices or consume fewer eggs.
The Taiwanese government stated that the shortage began last month due to the loss of 130,000 chickens in floods in 2018 and recent weather turmoil, which have made it difficult for chickens to lay eggs. The Council of Agriculture has said that the hens’ importation is part of the state’s efforts to increase the number of eggs, and Taiwan is likely to import another 250,000 chickens this year. According to Gareth Leather, Senior Economist for Emerging Asia at Britain’s Capital Economics, the egg shortage is a problem for many countries due to the pandemic of avian influenza.