[The Epoch Times, 12 gennaio 2023](Full report by Epoch Times reporter Marshanen Los Angeles) On the marketegg priceThe surge in the virus is causing panic among ordinary American families: soon we won’t be able to afford eggs anymore! Households with gardens are starting to consider raising chickens to avoid high egg prices.
Ms. Li from Los Angeles recently went to a Chinese supermarket to buy some vegetables, she wanted to buy a few dozen eggs, but she was shocked when she saw the price: 20 large eggs for $11.99 and 12 large grade white eggs AA for $7.99. Her friend wanted to buy from Sam, but when she arrived she found that the eggs were out of stock.
A year ago, the price of eggs in California was about $2.35 a dozen. At the above prices, eggs are up 240%. Overall, although the price of eggs in the United States is increasing, the selling price is still much lower than in California. U.S. wholesale eggs were $3.30/dozen last week, up from $2.35/dozen a year ago.
In Temple City, Texas, a dozen eggs that cost $1.40 in 2019 now exceed $5. Elsewhere across the country, soaring egg prices have also become unbearable for ordinary residents. In order not to deal with the high price of eggs at the supermarket, a Chicago resident told the Associated Press that she and her neighbors have started seriously considering building chicken coops in their backyard.
The increase in egg prices does not only directly affect ordinary households, but also chain companies such as McDonald’s. McDonald’s is said to consume 2 billion eggs every year. Soaring egg prices are bound to increase the costs of these restaurant chains, putting severe pressure on people’s perception of prices.
The avian flu virus, which started in January last year and made a comeback in September, is the result of this waverising egg pricesdirect pusher.Some economists have pointed out that bird flu in 2022epidemicthe deadliest bird flu outbreak in US history.
Bird flu usually comes in the spring and ends before the summer. But this year’s bird flu broke out again after September and intensified in October.These two wavesepidemicChicken flocks were affected in 47 states and 369 counties. The total number of affected poultry in the United States reached 57.83 million and 40 million laying hens died as a result. As of December 1 of last year, the number of laying hens in the United States was 375 million, down 5% from a year earlier.egg productionIt’s also declining, with eggs produced in November at 8.9 billion, down 8.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The reason why the price of eggs in California is much higher than in the United States is related to the “No Cage Law” passed in California in 2018 and which went into effect last year. This bill requires that from January 1 of last year, the sale of eggs produced from caged hens will not be allowed, which will increase the cost of rearing laying hens.
The analysis believes that the increase in the price of chicken is also related to inflation. In an interview with CNBC, Brian Moscogiuri, global trade strategist at Eggs Unlimited, said inflation is still rife, coupled with factors like bird flu and holidays. Moscow Geely believes the mass die-off of laying hens coincides with peak demand around the holidays. During the festival, a large number of eggs are needed for cooking and baking, which also increases the demand for eggs.
When will egg prices rise?
The bird flu epidemic is still ongoing. It usually takes 5 to 6 months for laying hens to reach peak egg production; even if the epidemic is now over, it will take time to fully restore production capacity.
Moscow Geely believes egg prices may decline after January as demand naturally declines after the festival; at the same time, high egg prices will also inhibit demand. He estimated that egg prices could decline within weeks to January. But if large-scale bird flu reappears, it could also disturbegg priceDownward trend.
There are also experts who have different opinions. Egg prices won’t drop anytime soon as bird flu continues to kill laying hens, says Robert Tennant, an economist at Texas AM Central, in an interview with KCENTV; going into 2023. After that, high egg prices could continue for at least half a year. ◇
Responsible editor: Fang Ping
