Egg production in the EU (15) increased by 12.2% over the last decade. In 2003 it reached a volume of 96.4 billion pieces. The leading countries in shell egg production are Spain with a share of 20.1%, France and Italy with a share of 17% respectively 14%. The self-sufficiency rate for eggs shows a great variety in the EU. In 2003, The Netherlands had the highest surplus with a rate of 175%, whereas Germany showed the highest deficit with a self-sufficiency rate of only 71%. Shell eggs are traded mostly within the common market of the EU. The Netherlands is the leading exporting country; Germany is the leading importing country.

Organic egg production has also increased continuously over the last decade, without, however, reaching higher market shares. The contribution of organic egg production differs considerably among EU member states. Denmark has the highest share, followed by Austria and the United Kingdom; on the other hand, in southern European countries, organic egg production only plays a minor role. In spite of the increasing production volume, trade with organic eggs is still relatively unimportant in the EU.

The new EU directive for laying hen husbandry and the new German directive will have far reaching impacts on egg production and egg trade in the EU. Due to the banning of conventional cages from 2007 on in Germany the amount of alternative egg production will increase dramatically in this country, but it is a still open question if the consumers will buy these more expensive eggs. The self-sufficiency rate for eggs will decrease from 71% to about 35% and force Germany to import about 10 billion shell eggs per year or about two thirds of all eggs that are being traded on the world market.