“Why is it always eggs that are the problem?”
Because eggs are inexpensive protein and they’re integral to most baked goods. Interruptions to egg production are also indicative of failures in the supply chain.
I raise chickens and sell eggs. The first supply chain issue for me is going to be composite feed. That’s a big one for me and an even bigger concern for factory-level egg production. No feed means no eggs.
And it’s not like you can just put out scratch for the chickens. There’s feed additives and feed ferments that go into a good composite formula for egg layers.
I have no idea what component of feed is missing in Russia because they make plenty of grain and etc. so it’s going to be something they get from outside of Russia that’s the problem.
In any case, egg production is an indicator of issues and where eggs are so important to our diets it’s no joke when you have an egg shortage.
I’ve worked on three different research farms, two chicken farms (only broilers, no layers) and a fish farm.
We always had plenty of feed, but that was before we had any supply chain issues.
Perhaps the problem Russia has right now is related to the droughts they’ve had in Europe, some of the worst since the middle ages.
If you remember two summers ago eggs were expensive during the drought. The dryness even caused some of the hay for animals to grow some sort of fungus. The woman who teaches my kid horseback riding had problems getting clean hay.