NFU housing survey warns of infrastructure barriers in the egg sector

It has been revealed that one fifth of laying hen sheds are more than 25 years old, with the average shed age being 17 years and pullet and breeding sheds significantly older still. In 2020-2025, new building construction fell by 40% compared to the previous five-year period.

If this is a continuing trend, UK egg production may struggle to meet growing consumer demand for high quality and affordable protein.

There is clearly a need for a workable planning system and a fair, functioning supply chain to remove current barriers to growth which in turn will give producers the much- needed confidence to invest in modern, efficient infrastructure and support a resilient egg sector.

Clear warning sign

NFU Poultry Board Chair Will Raw said: “This survey gives us the clearest picture yet of the state of the UK’s egg production infrastructure – and it shows a sector that needs the right tools and confidence to invest. British egg producers have weathered an exceptionally difficult few years, and while demand for British eggs continues to grow, the slowdown in new housing development is a warning sign we cannot ignore. 
 
“Farmers want to modernise, expand and future-proof their businesses, but they need a planning system that works and a supply chain that delivers fair, sustainable returns. This data strengthens our case for both, and we support responsible expansion in the sector which helps meet the public’s growing desire for affordable, versatile and nutritious source of protein which eggs provide.
 
“A big thank you goes out to everyone in the egg sector who completed the survey – without your support this vital piece of work would not have been possible.”

Data gathered

Respondents were asked to provide information on what year the shed was built, the type of production system in use and when any major refurbishments or conversion to multi-tier had taken place.

Location data was also collected so that results could be analysed regionally. 

According to Defra, the total UK laying flock size at the time of the survey was approximately 42m hens, which means that the 2025 NFU shed age survey covered more than 39% of the national laying flock.

Based on sector sources, we estimate that the survey also covered a significant majority of the UK’s commercial pullet rearing capacity.

Laying hens

The average age of laying hen sheds in the UK was 17 years old. Nearly 19% of laying hen sheds were more than 25 years old, and 20% of sheds currently in production had undergone a major refurbishment (excluding conversion to multi-tier).

In terms of conversions, 7% of free-range sheds were previously flat deck sites that had been converted to multi-tier. The average age of a multi-tier conversion was seven years.

In the free-range sector, 42% of sheds were flat deck systems which had an average age of 22 years.

Multi-tier represented 56% of the sector’s sheds, with an average age of 12 years.

Mobile units made up the remaining 2%, housing just 0.3% of free-range laying hens.

In terms of capacity, multi-tier sheds represented 73% of the free-range flock and flat deck units made up the remaining 27%. 

The survey showed that on average, each multi-tier shed housed 18,747 hens compared to 9,323 hens in an average flat deck shed.

Enriched colony cage sheds were the oldest production system by a significant margin, with an average age of 27 years, and an average of 16 years since the last major refurbishment. 

Across the UK nations, Wales had the youngest shed estate with an average age of nine years, followed by Scotland (12 years), Northern Ireland (18 years).

England had the oldest average shed age at 19 years.

In terms of layer shed building, the busiest five-year period was 2016-2020; 206 sheds were built across the UK with a total capacity of 3.45m hens.

The following period (2020-2025) saw a significant drop to only 120 sheds built, with a capacity of 2.05m hens, a drop of 40% compared to the previous five years. This correlates with a challenging period for the egg sector, where poor returns and low confidence resulted in farmers coming out of production and a temporary decline in the national laying flock.

It could also be indicative of an increasingly difficult planning landscape, particularly in sensitive catchment areas.

Pullet rearing and breeding

Sheds used for pullet rearing and breeding were on average significantly older than those used for egg production.

The average age of pullet rearing sheds in the UK was 38 years old, with 55% of sheds built more than 40 years ago.

Some 22% of pullet rearing sheds had been refurbished, with an average of 11 years since the most recent major refurbishment. Meanwhile, 11% of pullet rearing sheds had been converted to multi-tier, with an average of 11 years since the conversion took place.

The average age of breeder sheds was 37 years old, with 51% of sheds built more than 40 years ago.

More than half (52%) of breeder sheds had been refurbished, with an average of 24 years since the last major refurbishment. 

Across the UK, England had the oldest pullet rearing (40 years old) and breeding (39 years old) sheds, with Scotland having the youngest pullet rearing (19 years old) and Wales having the youngest breeding (12 years old) sheds.

Next steps

This is the first time the NFU has carried out a shed age survey in the egg sector and it has provided useful data that will help inform ongoing policy work.

While demand for British eggs is increasing, this survey indicates that the rate of new sheds being built for egg production in the past five years is the lowest in both numbers of sheds built and additional capacity since 2001-2005.

This demonstrates the importance of a workable planning system and a fair supply chain to give producers the confidence to invest as part of a resilient and thriving sector.