The government is taking emergency steps to deal with an egg shortage linked to the outbreak of avian influenza.

Starting next month, the government will lift import tariffs on eggs and investigate allegations of egg hoarding by distributors and bakeries.

The Food and Agriculture Ministry says that more than two out of every ten egg-laying hens have been culled as a measure to curb the spread of highly pathogenic bird flu.

More than 20 million birds have been culled overall.