That was the stunned reaction from one Bulli shopper last week when eggs became the latest supermarket staple hit by high prices and disrupted supplies.

But while she grabbed one of the last few cartons remaining in the cage egg section, still complaining about the $10 tag, the rest of the fridge was bare.

The situation hasn't improved since, with shoppers now coming across the sorry sight of a completely empty egg cabinet, as was the case at Woolworths in midweek.

The retail giant is again being affected by its reliance on nationwide supply chains, signs explain to customers, despite the vast range of different brands usually stocked.

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Smaller stores and independent chains, which are less dependent on centralised supply, are less affected.

The egg industry has said there's not a problem with supply, but Woolworths has said "a number of farms" have been affected by "reduced production".

Price increases have hit smaller producers as well as larger industrial farms, Kangaroo Valley egg farmer Kristen McLennan said.

Ms McLennan runs Kangaroo Valley Pastured Eggs with her husband Mark, and said price increases for farm inputs had sent some producers to the wall.

"The issue with supply now is more driven by all the other things which have been happening in the industry," she said.

"It's more than just the tendency of hens to lay less during winter, although that has had an impact. In the last 18 months to two years the price for pullets - the young birds - has gone up by probably 15 per cent.

"So a lot of smaller producer have chosen not to increase their flock size, or they've chosen to downsize.

"Add that to the general instability of the COVID market and for all food producers things have been really unstable - planning ahead for what you think you need to produce, for what will be sold, has been difficult.

"It's been unstable - we've made the switch from cafes and restaurants to more retail sales in terms of our supply because we can't afford to not be selling half our eggs if all the cafes are closed."

A Woolworths spokesman blamed production issues at some producers.

"The market-wide supply of locally produced eggs in some regions has recently been impacted by reduced production on a number of farms," he said.

"While we continue to deliver eggs to our stores regularly, customers may notice reduced availability at the moment and we thank them for their patience and understanding.

"We're in close contact with our suppliers and are working to increase the availability of eggs in stores as soon as possible."

Ms McLennan said winter also needed planning.

"We've been really lucky before now - the industry has planned ahead well before now," she said. "We have more chickens at this time of year ... but with COVID and skyrocketing prices, a lot of people haven't stocked up on chickens like they normally would for this time of year.

"As soon as we drop below 16 hours of sunlight, any chicken that's outside and regulated by the sunshine is going to stop laying or at least dramatically reduce the number of eggs they produce.

"In a commercial shed usually they're under lights, to ensure they have at least 16 hours of light per day - it stimulates their pituitary gland to make sure they're pumping out the right hormones to lay the eggs."