McDonald’s in Australia has been forced to cut back its breakfast service hours due to a shortage of eggs caused by bird flu outbreaks in the country. The fast-food giant has announced that it will now stop serving breakfast at 10:30 a.m., 1.5 hours earlier than the usual midday cutoff.
According to McDonald’s, the decision was made due to “current industry challenges” as a result of the bird flu outbreaks. The company stated that it is working closely with its Australian farmers and suppliers to restore normal breakfast service as soon as possible.
Australia has been battling several strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza since May, which have led to the culling of around 1.5 million chickens, primarily at egg farms in the country’s southeastern regions. While the outbreaks do not involve the H5N1 variant that has spread globally, they have still caused significant disruption to the country’s egg supply.
Industry body Australian Eggs has confirmed that less than 10% of the country’s egg-laying hens have been affected by the outbreaks. However, the disruption has led to some stores running out of eggs towards the end of the day, with retailers imposing limits on the number of eggs customers can purchase.
The bird flu outbreaks are Australia’s 10th since 1976, and the government has stated that each one has been successfully contained and eradicated. Authorities are confident that the current situation will also be brought under control, but the impact on the food service industry, such as McDonald’s breakfast menu, is likely to continue in the short term.