Bird flu fears are driving up egg prices again.
After having subsided for most of 2023, a recent resurgence of avian influenza in poultry facilities across the U.S., Japan and other nations have caused prices of eggs to jump again.
The virus, commonly referred to as bird flu, is extremely contagious and lethal among birds, has been detected in dairy herds in recent days.
“The reason for the big surge in egg prices is HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) hitting egg farms and killing chickens and cutting egg production,” said David Anderson, a professor and food economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University.
In the U.S., more than 14 million egg-laying chickens died in November and December as a result of avian flu. In the last 30 days, more than 8 million birds among America’s commercial flocks remain infected, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
