(The Hill) — The rising price of eggs in the last year has been linked to bird flu’s impact on the supply chain.
Eggs’ price tag has gone up by 28.1% in the last 12 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Bird flu is the number one reason for higher prices, absolutely,” Phil Lempert, a grocery industry analyst, told CNN.
“When one chicken gets bird flu, they’ve got to cull the entire flock.
But bird flu is not the only factor causing the prices of eggs to go upward.
(The Hill) — The effects of bird flu on the supply chain have been connected to the last year’s increase in egg prices.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in the past 12 months, the cost of eggs has increased by 28.1%. Based on statistics provided by the bureau, the average cost of a dozen large eggs was $3.20.
The product’s high demand as well as the Colorado chicken farm bird flu outbreak in July contributed to price increases.
An analyst for the grocery business named Phil Lempert told CNN that “bird flu is the number one reason for higher prices, absolutely.”.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 100 million people in 48 states have been impacted by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, since January 2022.
“Consider how they are kept: in cramped quarters with lots of hens,” Lempert advised. “The flock must be culled when one chicken contracts bird flu. That is the issue. “.
The overall amount of eggs produced has been impacted by the birds’ illness, and a decrease in egg production contributes to an increase in price.
An associate professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University named Amy Hagerman told NPR, “Table egg-layer facilities tend to be very large, and so you can lose a million or two million birds on a single facility, because this is a highly contagious virus.”.
Yet there are other factors besides bird flu that are driving up egg prices.
As fuel prices are higher and labor and packaging costs are also high, Emily Metz, the president of the American Egg Board, told NPR that “inflationary pressures” are a major factor.
“We’re seeing volatility reflecting a number of factors that are completely outside the control of the egg farmer,” Metz said. “Egg farmers are price takers, not price makers.”.
