A fire at a chicken farm in Orini has killed up to 75,000 egg-laying hens.

Zeagold Nutrition chief executive John McKay confirmed there was a fire at its egg-laying farm in Waikato.

“A supervisor on-site at our farm called the fire department at 7.40am today. All 12 staff members on site are safe and unharmed,” McKay said earlier today.

“Ten emergency vehicles are currently on site to contain the spread of the fire.”

McKay said the cause of the fire had not been determined and the focus was on the welfare of their hens.

“We are devastated to have lost 75,000 birds ... the total impact will not be known until the fire is contained.”

McKay confirmed about 1pm that the fire had been contained.

“We’re pleased to report the fire has been contained, with Fire and Emergency NZ remaining on site to monitor any hot spots. At this stage, we still have to assess the full extent of the damage, but it was not as extensive as initially reported, with only two sheds affected.”

Initially, McKay said it had involved four sheds.

“We will know more when we have access to the full site. We would like to thank Fire and Emergency NZ for their quick response and great efforts today,” McKay said.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said they received a report about 7.45am this morning of a fire at the farm on Old Rd.

“When we arrived the shed was well-involved with fire. We sent five fire trucks and three water tankers.”

There have been no injuries reported and a fire investigator was at the scene.

Last month, New Zealand supermarket chains told customers to only buy what they need over the coming weeks, as a national shortage of eggs continues.

Those popping into local supermarkets have noticed a distinct lack of packaged eggs on the shelves and, in some cases, stores have gone completely without.

Egg Producers Federation executive director Michael Brooks said more than 75 per cent of chicken farmers were impacted due to a ban on battery-caged hens.

The ban was announced in 2012, when 84 per cent of all the country’s eggs were from battery farms.

The rules came into effect at the turn of 2023.

“The supermarkets’ announcement to refuse colony cage eggs, the end of the cage system, plus Covid, plus the grain cost rising because of the Ukraine war have all come together,” Brooks said.

Foodstuffs’ Emma Wooster echoed the federation’s reasoning behind the egg shortage.

The Foodstuffs brand oversees major supermarket brands Pak’nSave and New World. Wooster agreed the 2012 legislation has seen a “temporary decrease” in overall egg supply.

“It’s a significant change for the egg supply industry.

“To help support the transition and to make sure customers get a fair shake when they shop, Foodstuffs have put temporary limits on eggs.”