More than 1.2 million birds have been culled in Australia.
McDonald’s Australia has cut breakfast time in Australia by 90 minutes due to an egg shortage amid an outbreak of bird flu.
The decision follows after the highly pathogenic H7 influenza infected eight farms in Victoria, two properties in New South Wales, and one in the Australian Capital Territory.
More than one million birds in the two states combined have been euthanised as part of the government’s response to bird flu, also known as avian influenza.
In a post on social media, McDonald’s explained breakfast would end at 10.30 a.m. instead of midday, due to egg supply issues.
“Like many retailers we are carefully managing supply of eggs due to the current industry challenges,” McDonald’s Australia posted to Instagram.
“To keep bringing you your breakie favourites with fresh Aussie eggs, we’ll be temporarily serving breakfast until 10.30 a.m. across Australia (usually available until midday).”
McDonald’s said it is working hard with Aussie farmers and suppliers to return to normal “as soon as possible.”
Egg Supply Disruptions
Recently, the federal government warned egg supplies in Australia have been disrupted and consumers should not buy more eggs than required.
“The national layer hen flock has been impacted by these outbreaks which is resulting in some localised disruption to egg supplies to the retail, hospitality and manufacturing sectors,” the government said.
They warned consumers could expect to see some empty shelves in the short-term, but supply was being redirected.
“Some retailers have already imposed purchasing limits which may extend across retail chains and jurisdictions, including rural and regional areas,” the federal government continued.
Supermarket giant Coles imposed egg purchase limits on Australian customers in June.
