Somerville Egg Farm, Moorooduc, on input costs and egg prices

Somerville Egg Farm manager Linda Larkins, Moorooduc, runs barn-laid, cage-egg and free-range flocks to supply local and statewide demand.

Ms Larkins said egg producers were facing growing costs and challenges including labour shortages, freight costs, supply demand, a cage-egg phaseout and more that contributed to ongoing egg price rises.

Her family farm faced a price rise over Easter, and their prior price rise was two years beforehand.

"This one we've just had was probably the most significant price rise we had to do, because everything caught up with us - you get to the end of the month and go 'how are we going to pay for this stuff?' and just looking at market trends," she said.

"Everything all adds up."

Ms Larkins hoped to maintain their cage eggs until a phaseout, which she said the eggs offered greater affordability to consumers and reduced biosecurity risks.

Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry recommended cage eggs be phased out by 2046.

"I've been in this industry for a long time, I've grown up here so since I was a little girl I've been on the egg farm and we've had cage for most of that and the last 20 years free-range as well," she said.

"We'll be doing cage until we can't do it anymore."

Ms Larkins said she knew of several Australian farms closing their doors after facing labour shortages and high costs.

She said they paid above award rate to retain staff and maintained a strong retention rate, but found it difficult to find new employees.

Ms Larkins said the COVID-19 pandemic also created price rises for egg producers due to closed restaurants and hospitality businesses.

"People were still eating eggs, but they're not going out to eat it," she said.

Somerville Egg Farm also supplied emu eggs in the winter and duck eggs, and more recently quail eggs before delivery difficulties meant they would no longer be able to order in quail eggs from a supplier for sale.

She said organic chicken eggs and duck egg prices were also on the rise, with three price increases on duck eggs this year.

Ms Larkins said major supermarkets had delayed rising their prices for chicken eggs, which affected suppliers.

Currently, Woolworths sell a dozen free-range eggs between $7 and $12.50, and while Coles' prices sit between $4.80 and $12.50.

"Their suppliers were pushing and pushing and pushing to get the prices up, but they weren't coming to the table and then their shelves were empty because those suppliers were getting better prices elsewhere," Ms Larkins said.

"So they had to come to the table because there is a shortage of eggs as well, that tariffs are driving up the price and that has a lot to do with the cage eggs legislation."

Ms Larkins said they were not in the exporting market, and solely wanted to continue supplying and supporting local businesses.

She said they looked at expanding their free-range business, but were assessing high infrastructure costs.

"There's still a lot of uncertainty about where to go," she said.

"I know that the people who do the infrastructure for free-range were getting a lot of calls for quotes, but still not getting many orders.

"It's very painful because when [demand] drops it drops very quickly, and it's dramatic, and then you're stuck with all these eggs.

"For us, every decision is very measured."