{"id":132,"date":"2025-04-10T12:44:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.soapandseife.com\/?p=132"},"modified":"2025-04-12T23:26:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T23:26:32","slug":"egg-prices-increase-to-record-high-despite-trumps-predictions-and-bird-flu-outbreak-slowing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.soapandseife.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/egg-prices-increase-to-record-high-despite-trumps-predictions-and-bird-flu-outbreak-slowing\/","title":{"rendered":"Egg prices increase to record high despite Trump\u2019s predictions and bird flu outbreak slowing"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JOSH FUNK and DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writers<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. egg prices<\/a>\u00a0increased again last month to reach a new record-high of $6.23 per dozen despite\u00a0President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0predictions, a drop in wholesale prices and no egg farms having bird flu outbreaks.<\/p>\n

The increase reported Thursday in the Consumer Price Index means consumers and\u00a0businesses that rely on eggs<\/a>\u00a0might not get much immediate relief. Demand for eggs is typically elevated until after Easter, which falls on April 20.<\/p>\n

Industry experts were expecting the index to reflect a drop in retail egg prices because wholesale egg prices dropped significantly in March. University of Arkansas agricultural economist Jada Thompson said the wholesale prices did not start dropping until mid-March, so there may not have been enough time for the average price for the month to decline even though prices started to fall at the end of the month. And grocery stores may not have immediately passed on the lower prices.<\/p>\n

The bird flu effect<\/h4>\n

Bird flu outbreaks were cited as the major cause of price spikes in January and February after more than 30 million egg-laying chickens were killed to prevent the spread of the disease. Only 2.1 million birds were slaughtered in March and none of them were on egg farms.<\/p>\n

Egg prices hit\u00a0$5.90 in February<\/a>\u00a0one month after setting a\u00a0record at $4.95 per dozen<\/a>, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n

The farms that had fall outbreaks have been working to resume egg production after sanitizing their barns and raising new flocks, but chickens must be about six months old before they start laying eggs. Thompson said those farms did not come back online as quickly as anticipated.<\/p>\n

In the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers, there were only about 285 million hens laying eggs nationwide as of March 1, down from 293 million the previous month. Before the outbreak, the flock typically numbered more than 315 million.<\/p>\n

Since the current bird flu outbreak began, more than 168 million birds have been slaughtered, most of them egg-laying chickens. Any time a bird gets sick, the entire flock is killed to help keep bird flu from spreading. That can have an effect on the egg supply because\u00a0massive egg farms<\/a>\u00a0may have millions of birds.<\/p>\n

The disease is difficult to control because it is spread easily through the droppings of wild birds that carry the avian flu virus. Bird flu has also infected other animals, including dairy cattle and several dozen farm workers but officials maintain it is not a significant threat to humans.<\/p>\n

Egg price politics<\/h4>\n

Trump tried to take credit for the lower wholesale egg prices the\u00a0USDA<\/a>\u00a0reported in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe egg prices they were going through the sky. And you did a fantastic job,\u201d Trump said to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins before he announced the details of his tariffs at the White House last week. \u201dNow we have lots of eggs and they are much cheaper now.\u201d<\/p>\n

But experts say\u00a0the president\u2019s plan<\/a>\u00a0to fight bird flu by focusing on strengthening egg farmers\u2019 defenses against the virus is likely to be more of a long-term help.<\/p>\n