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Avian influenza, or bird flu, is wreaking havoc on the nation's chicken flocks—and egg prices for U.S. consumers.
Egg prices have surged since late spring, rising amid a surge in avian influenza in the nation's commercial poultry flocks. (There was a similar outbreak in late 2022.) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July estimated that avian flu had sickened over 3 million birds, or roughly about 1% of the nation's supply of egg-laying chickens.
The average wholesale price of a dozen large Grade A eggs has more than doubled in the past four months, climbing to $4.44 last week from $2.11 in early May. In just the past month, wholesale prices have risen 40%. Retail prices have followed, with the same size and grade averaging $3.20 per dozen in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
One supermarket chain in the Midwest, which typically has lower retail egg prices than others because of its proximity to many large producers, sold a dozen large Grade A eggs for $3.99 Friday morning—25% more than August's national average retail price.
The wholesale price surge suggests retail prices will likely rise further when the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports September price data next month.
Consumers endured a similar avian-induced market surge in late 2022 and early 2023, when average retail prices reached an all-time high of $4.82 per dozen. However, they fell about as quickly as they rose, plunging to more normal levels near $2 per dozen by mid-2023.
Producers whose flocks contract avian flu must quickly quarantine and euthanize them. They then must pass USDA testing and inspection to ensure no traces of the disease remain at their facilities. The USDA found no U.S. commercial flocks with bird flu in August, which may indicate progress on controlling the spread of avian flu. If that is the case, prices may return to normal relatively quickly.
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