The ongoing and devastating outbreak of avian influenza has severely damaged the country’s egg-laying population, taking wholesale prices to record highs and far surpassing the price explosion of a few years ago when avian influenza first emerged. This is a worrying trend, and egg prices in the supermarket are likely to rise further in the coming weeks and months.
Urner Barry’s latest wholesale data shows that the price of a dozen eggs has jumped to a record high of $5.4, surpassing the previous peak of $4.65 set in December 2022. Rising wholesale prices should continue to put pressure on supermarket prices higher.
According to the USDA’s Bird Flu Dashboard, 15.5 million birds in the Lower 48 have been infected with bird flu in the past 30 days.
About 20 million laying hens died in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to an escalating health crisis that damaged the country’s egg-laying population.
“Unlike previous years, in 2024, all major production systems experienced significant losses, including conventional drilled, cage-free, and certified organic types,” the USDA wrote in a report released earlier this month.
The final result will be as follows:
Readers may consider building or purchasing a chicken coop to ensure its own egg supply, as the shortage is expected to persist. In addition, a growing trend for some Americans involves getting clean food from mother-pop farms or using their land to produce food. Maybe it’s time for people to move away from toxic food supply chains controlled by megacorporations.
