Australian fans of late breakfasts at McDonald’s will now have to wake up earlier. The fast-food giant has temporarily reduced its breakfast service hours by 90 minutes in the country due to an egg shortage caused by an outbreak of bird flu.
Currently, McDonald’s serves its full breakfast menu only until 10:30 a.m., instead of the usual midday.
“Like many retailers, we are carefully managing the supply of eggs due to the current industry challenges,” McDonald’s Australia said in a statement sent to the BBC. “We continue to work closely with our network of Australian farmers, producers, and suppliers as the industry comes together to manage this challenge.”
In the past two months, several strains of bird flu have been detected in 11 poultry facilities in southeastern Australia. Authorities have declared that they have the situation under control.xxxx
“Consumers can expect to see some empty shelves in the short term, however, supplies are being redirected to areas with shortages,” the Australian government said. “Consumers should refrain from buying more eggs than necessary.”xxxx
Bird flu has affected less than 10% of Australia’s laying hens, but some companies have imposed limits on the number of eggs people can buy. The outbreaks have led to the culling of approximately 1.5 million chickens in Australia.
So far, none of the detected strains have been the H5N1 variant of bird flu. H5N1 has spread through bird and mammal populations worldwide, infecting billions of animals and a small number of humans.
