AMC managing director Péter Ondré noted that per capita consumption of eggs in Hungary has risen from 215 to 240 per year in the past decade. During the same period, the number of eggs farmers produce has climbed from 850 million-900 mln to 1.1 billion-1.2 bln a year, he added.

Eggs are high in protein, minerals and vitamins, while their lipid composition is "ideal", Ondré said.

Imre Szép, who heads the Hungarian Association of Hybrid Hen Farmers and Egg Producers, said local egg farmers are losing HUF 5-6 forints per egg at present because of high feed prices. Farmers get just half of the consumer price of eggs, he added.

He urged solidarity to prevent a ban on keeping hens in cages and said the practice requires the least water and feed, and involves the smallest volume of carbon emissions.

State secretary for farming and rural development Zsolt Feldman said there are some 550 egg farms in Hungary employing several thousand people, but imported eggs still account for 15-16% of domestic consumption.