Egg prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks in part due to a huge wave of bird flu that has infected nearly 27 million chickens and turkeys in the United States, forcing many farmers to “desert” or destroy their animals to prevent further extinction. The virus has affected many different species of birds, including penguins and bald eagles. But its spread among poultry was huge, especially among chickens raised for their eggs. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced another outbreak, one in two flocks in Idaho, making it the 27th state to be infected since February. According to the USDA, the price of a dozen eggs in November was around $ 1. Right now, this price is $ 2.95 and rising. The disease infects commercial birds, herds of hobby chickens and wild birds and is transmitted through secretions and leads to paralysis, swelling and reduced egg production. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been identified in the United States. So far, about 1.3 percent of all U.S. chickens have been affected by the outbreak and about 6 percent of the U.S. turkey herd, said Grady Ferguson, senior research analyst at Gro Intelligence, an agricultural data platform. . Ferguson watched the last major outbreak of bird flu in 2015, saying it could be more significant and disrupt poultry and egg markets. During the last outbreak, at this point in the outbreak, 66 days after the first detection, the percentage of total chickens infected was 0.02 percent, which eventually rose to about 2.5 percent of infected chickens and 50 percent. millions of birds destroyed. How does the worst bird flu epidemic in US history cost you money? “We are above and beyond the rate of spread we saw in 2015,” Ferguson said. “Last time, 81 percent of the cases were in the fourth and fifth months, as things exploded. Chicken egg prices have last affected the market for years. We are two months into the outbreak now and the security protocols have not worked. “I do not want to be a Chicken Little, but I think it will be worse than last time.” He said that in addition to the higher prices for a box of twelve eggs, consumers “will see higher prices for all pastries and a wide variety of processed foods from cupcakes to salad dressing.” Restaurants will find it more difficult to justify why they should give you an omelette with three eggs for a dollar. “On the chicken side, the situation is also worse this time than last.” Most of the birds that needed to be destroyed last time were laying hens and birds (these are sexually immature birds that will be layered) and very few broilers (the birds that consumers eat) were affected, Ferguson said. So far in this outbreak, 9 percent of the infected animals are meat-producing chickens, he said, which will lead to already high prices for chicken to rise further. Tom Super, senior communications vice president for the National Chicken Council, said breeders “double and triple” biosafety in chickens, adding protocols such as employee showers as they enter and exit a facility and antiseptic tire loaders. the infection should not be transferred from one facility to another. Super said bird flu would increase the cost of chicken, but that it’s just one of many price pressures right now. It lists higher feed costs for animals, higher fuel costs for animal transport and even the Biden government’s decision to allow higher levels of ethanol in gasoline, which further raises the price of corn and soy needed for feed. US imports little from Ukraine and Russia, but food and agriculture costs expected to rise Emily Metz, president of the American Egg Board, said that about 5% of laying hens have been affected so far, but that they are more optimistic about the course of the epidemic. “The end is that we started a little earlier than 2015 [with biosecurity protocols]”We learned some difficult lessons in 2015, that our biosafety was not where it should be. We have invested in huge changes.” Describe new high-tech protocols, such as laser light systems to prevent migratory birds from landing on farmland or buildings. And while acknowledging that prices are rising, he points to the cost of farmers’ inputs as a bigger factor than the spectrum of bird flu. “It’s worrying and I share the concern about affordability. “But eggs are still one of the most affordable proteins, without any,” he said. Andrew Van Dam contributed to this report.
