Cake bakers and those who start their day 'sunny side up' can breath easy, Australia isn't running out of eggs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While shoppers the nation over may have missed the staple from their barren supermarket shelves, the egg industry is assuring customers this is a short-term problem.
Rest easy: Australia's laying hens are still hard at work.
Australian Eggs managing director Rowan McMonnies said the absence of eggs in supermarkets is driven by higher than normal demand, and is not a refection of the continuity of supply.
"Australia's 21 million hens are still laying eggs and farmers are working around the clock to get those eggs to their customers," he said.
"We're confident of maintaining steady supply through autumn and winter and there will be eggs readily available when the short-term stockpiling and panic buying stops."
Tasmanian egg producer, Waverley Farm owner James Walker said the family company was working around the clock to keep up an unprecedented demand for the company's free range eggs.
"Waverley Farm has been helping our IGA's and smaller stores to stay stocked up with eggs," he said.
The government recognised the essential need for continuing food supply, Mr McMonnies said, the industry would work with the authorities to ensure measures were put in place to both protect workers and the public, while ensuring a steady supply of eggs.
"Of course, egg farmers are concerned about the potential impact of coronavirus on their staff and wider supply chains but there have been no reports of disruptions across the industry," he said.
"Individual egg farms are also reconfiguring their operations to minimise the risk that one infected employee could disrupt a whole farm."