Supermarket egg shortage 'will get worse before it gets better'

A devastating bird flu outbreak which hit poultry farms mid last year is continuing to have a catastrophic flow on effect in supermarkets around the country.

Shelves remain empty, if not scarce, and shoppers in most locations are limited to two cartons of eggs per person.

But while it has been nearly a year since the bird flu spread throughout farms, stocks are still a while off from being replenished.

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"I imagine it's going to get worse before it gets better," third generation egg farmer Danyel Cucinotta told Today.

"You can't just turn it back on, there's an entire process that the vet plan outlays, including disposal, cleanup, disinfection and then repopulation of about two million birds, which can take still another probably 12 to 18 months."

Danyel predicts hopefully stock will return to shelves in spring, when free range flocks are in better production and birds start to lay more regularly.

"However, Easter will exacerbate the problem and so will winter - and that is all providing there's not another outbreak,' she said.

Hear the full chat with Danyel in the video above