dive briefs
- U.S. chicken egg production Bird flu is on the rise, with signs of rebuilding after bird flu wiped out commercial flocks and sent prices soaring last year.
- Egg production in May was 9.37 billion, up 4% from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Egg production was down 6% earlier this year, but started to show signs of improvement in April.
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza, an infectious disease that is often fatal to birds, is having an impact. 325 U.S. commercial poultry flocks Only seven cases have been reported in the past year. No cases have been reported in the last 30 days.
dive insight
HPAI, often transmitted by migratory birds, affected more than 58 million commercial and wild birds in the past year, making it the worst outbreak in the nation’s history, according to USDA data. As the epidemic spread, supplies became tighter and prices soared. especially for eggs.
U.S. egg stocks down 29% More than 43 million egg-laying hens died last year from disease and depopulation efforts. Wholesale egg prices jumped 267% on higher holiday demand. Their numbers then dwindled as herds were rebuilt and farmers adopted adoptives. Biosecurity measures As an HPAI prophylaxis.
After last year’s outbreak, Brian Ernest, Cobank’s chief animal protein economist, said while hopes remain that HPAI will be a year-round problem in 2023 and will make a full comeback, “it doesn’t seem likely.” said. Case. “
Rather, USDA data show that infection rates in domestic commercial poultry flocks have fallen significantly. Since December, no egg-laying bird cases have been reported in the United States.
“Perhaps the commercial herd seems to have acquired immunity to it,” Ernest said.
Packaged Egg Prices for Large Wholesales Eggs cost $1.25 in New York last week, compared with the national average of $1.88 for conventional retail eggs. Shoppers were paying an average of $2.71 per dozen This time last year it was a large Grade A egg.
As U.S. prices return to pre-pandemic levels, cases are also occurring in other parts of the world, including Chile and China. Human infections reported in April. Last week, the USDA announced spending on: $502 million to prepare for potential additional HPAI cases.
