Small Business Association Welcomes Decision to Postpone Expansion of Laying Hen Breeding Space

"An Important First Step Toward Stabilizing Egg Prices and the Industry"

The Small Business Association expressed its support for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' decision to postpone the implementation of the policy to expand laying hen breeding space until September 1, 2027.

On the 10th, the association released a statement, calling the decision "a wise measure that takes into account the difficulties on the ground," and evaluated that "it will greatly contribute to stabilizing the volatile egg prices."

Small Business Association Logo. Small Business Association

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs had originally planned to increase the breeding space per laying hen from 0.05 square meters to 0.075 square meters starting this month. Regarding this policy, the association pointed out that "it is a structure that could reduce egg production by more than 30%." Citing an analysis by the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the association emphasized, "If egg production decreases by 33%, prices could surge by 57%, causing annual damages of up to 1.7 trillion won to related industries such as the food service, bakery, and confectionery sectors."

The association claimed, "As the policy implementation was announced, farms extended breeding periods to meet the new standards, exacerbating supply shortages." It added, "This year, consumer egg prices have sharply increased, with a tray of eggs exceeding 7,000 won for several consecutive months." As a result, it emphasized that not only small business owners, but also the entire food service, bakery, confectionery, and wholesale and retail industries that use eggs as a primary ingredient, have suffered significant economic damage.

Furthermore, the association criticized the government for "shifting the blame for rising prices onto small-scale egg distributors," and expressed regret over the intensive investigation conducted by the Fair Trade Commission. It also pointed out, "Egg distribution is one of the few sectors operated by small business owners," and insisted that "support for egg distributors should be increased."

In conclusion, the association stated, "This decision by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to postpone the policy is an important first step toward stabilizing egg prices and the industry," and added, "We will continue to strive to represent the voices of small-scale distributors and small business owners moving forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.