IEC conference focuses on international egg market

摘要

Better prices and more international trade without import restrictions - this was the wish of egg producers and traders present at the annual conference of the International Egg Commission (IEC) held in Santiago, Chile. But is trade going to be as free as one would like? Latin America contrasts sharply with Europe in the way eggs and spent hens are marketed. The modernization of production is mainly in cages, but market places are still the key outlets for eggs sold on trays and birds sold live at the end of lay, which can represent the profit. There are 30 operations with over a million layers in the 19 Latin American countries, but this is not yet matched at the marketing end. For the remainder of eggs, small stores are a more important outlet than supermarkets.