US egg prices expected to climb further as farmers strained by bird flu outbreak | US news

Egg prices in the United States have risen sharply over the past few weeks. Experts say they are likely to climb more with the outbreak of bird flu throughout the country.
Although bird flu has been in the United States since 2022, the biggest outbreak began in October and still affects millions of chicken. About 14.7 million chickens produced an egg with bird influenza have been affected since the beginning of January, bypassing the number of chicken affected in 2023, according to it. Data From the US Department of Agriculture (US Department of Agriculture).
” “We are now where we are really deficient.”
in December The number of the eggs of the produced table decreased by 4.5 % compared to The same period Last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture. With more chicken with bird flu in January, the number of eggs is likely to continue.
Bird flu specifically affects chickens that produce table eggs as they are kept alive for a longer period of broiler chickens, which are used in meat, making it more vulnerable to infection during her life. US centers to combat and prevent diseases He says The human infections of the bird flu are rare.
the wholesale price Of the ten large eggs, up to 40 cents per week, where farmers are struggling to produce enough eggs to keep pace with the demand. As of January 24, the price of 7.24 dollars in New York, $ 6.84 in the Middle West and $ 8.35 in California.
But consumers often end up paying a different price in the store. Many grocery stores sell eggs at lower prices than their sentence cost, with a loss to ensure customers return to the store to get other elements. Although the average wholesale prices in mid -January were about $ 5.80, Average price The eggs in stores were just above 4 dollars – an increase of about 2.50 dollars a year ago.
However, people began to see the price increase in some stores. Videos on social media appear for people who were shocked to see the egg carton worth $ 15. “I will have to start resale.” video.
The high price of eggs affects restaurants and bakeries, which often have to buy eggs in bulk.
“We are known for our French pasta … as well as the large cookies that are filled with cheese pie or Nutella-all the heavy elements of the eggs,” said Henry Krufford, the co-owner of Sugar Baker, who runs with his wife. Ella, in Santa Cruz, California. The bakery uses about 800 eggs per week for its sweets. Sixty eggs cost about $ 13 for the company, but over the past few weeks, the price has risen to $ 19.
“It makes the margins much smaller,” Krufford said, adding that it is difficult to raise prices to customers. “People are accustomed to paying a certain price.”
Many Americans may feel a feeling of Deja Vu while reading price stickers on egg shelves in the grocery store. Egg prices rose in December 2022, after early erupted from bird flu, but in the end they returned back after the request was cooled after the holiday season.
But this year, prices have not yet decreased. “The request was unable to retail in January of all this,” said Reesboli. People are used to the high prices of eggs, so they don’t really act as a deterrent. “
The end of the current bird flu will be difficult. It was egg producers the pressure The federal government to help finance vaccine and vital security research to address the outbreak. The virus can spread from wild birds to local chicken, while it is known that the disease is spreading from touches of birds to the bird, scientists are still not sure whether the infections are mobile.
If one chicken is injured in the herd, the whole herd becomes vulnerable to the risk of infection. The orders of the new chicks can take up to a year and a half to fulfill, which means that it is unclear whenever the number of chicken producing eggs will return to normal levels.
Egg prices may become a sticky political point as Donald Trump and the Republican majority return to Washington. When a reporter asked the White House press secretary, Caroline Levit, about the high cost of eggs on Wednesday, Levitte blamed the Biden administration for the high prices.
“This is an example of the reason that it is very important that the Senate moves quickly to confirm all President Trump’s candidates,” He said.