Bird Flu Outbreak May Affect Egg Prices

Cal-Maine Foods, the U.S.’s largest fresh egg producer, said Tuesday it has halted production following the detection of bird flu on the premises of a Texas factory, reports NPR. The company said it "depopulated" roughly 1.6 million egg-laying hens and 337,000 young hens because of the outbreak.

“Cal-Maine Foods is working to secure production from other facilities to minimize disruption to its customers,” said the producer in a statement.

Associate professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, Amy Hagerman, said that this recent outbreak could mean higher egg prices in the near future.

"Any time you have an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a large poultry producer like this, it has the potential to impact the market, because you're taking a large number of egg-laying birds out of production all at once," said Hagerman.

She explained that the poultry industry tries to quickly eradicate the bird flu threat after an outbreak is discovered to minimize impact; however, “at least temporarily, you see that sharp decline in the total eggs laid and, as a result, you see a price increase usually at the grocery store." Full Story