Omaha, Neb. – Bird Flu is forcing farmers to kill millions of chickens in a month, pushing us more than double the cost of eggs in the summer of 2023. And it appears that there may be no relief in sight, the surge in the surge in the surge in the sorrow as the approach of the Serge Easter.
The average price per dozen nationwide was $ 4.15 in December. It is not quite high as a $ 4.82 record set two years ago, but the Agriculture Department predicts that prices are going to increase another 20% this year.
In some parts of the country, shopkeepers are already paying more than double the average price, or worse, finding vacant shelves in their local grocery stores. Organic and cage-free varieties are even more expensive.
Some grocery stores have also limited how many egg shopkeepers can buy.
“This is just robbery,” said Rishi Mills, a resident of Miniapolis, who bought eggs to bake birthday cake last week. “Eggs used to be like a dominant food for us, but now you know, you can just go out to eat.”
What are the prices doing?
Bird flu outbreak starting in 2022 is the main reason in egg prices.
Anytime the virus is found on a poultry farm, the entire herd is killed to help limit the spread of the virus. And with a large -scale egg fields regularly with housing of more than 1 million chickens, simply some infections may lack supply.
The problem is that it takes months to dispose of all bodies, to disinfect the barn and bring new birds.
More than 145 million chickens, turkey and other birds have been slaughtered since the current outbreak has been launched, most of which are accompanied by egg laying chickens.
Cage-free egg laws in 10 states may also be responsible for some supply disruption and price hike. The laws determined the minimum space for chickens or cage-free requirements for egg laying chickens. They have already been implemented in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. On a target in Chicago on Monday, a dozen large traditional eggs were priced at $ 4.49, but a dozen large cage-free eggs were sold in $ 6.19.
Why is it so difficult to control the virus?
Bird flu mainly spreads by wild birds such as ducks and giz because they migrate. While it is fatal to a variety of animals, those species can usually take it without getting sick, which gives the virus a chance to mutate and flourish.
The virus can be spread through any interaction between drops or farm-up poultry and wild birds. It is easily tracked into a field by someone’s shoe or vehicle.
Unlike previous outbreaks, a high heat temperature began in 2022 did not die.
The virus found another new host when dairy cattle started getting sick in the last March. It creates more opportunities for the virus and spreads unlike poultry, when they become ill, cattle are not slaughtered because they rarely die from bird flu.
More than five dozen people have also become ill with bird flu and one person died since last March. Almost all of them worked around sick animals. Health officials have not yet found evidence of the disease spreading from someone else to another.
What is being done to stop the virus?
Farmers go to large lengths to protect their herd.
Many poultry farms installed truck washes to disinfect vehicles entering their property and need to take bath and replace clothes before stepping inside a barn. They have also invested in duplicate sets of equipment, so nothing is shared used in a barn.
Some poultry farmers have also invested in lasers who shoot a green light beam in a random pattern to discourage ducks and geese from landing.
Dairy farmers separate any sick cattle and do additional tests before taking animals out of the farm – especially if there is a nearby outbreak or if the cows are being sent to the meat processing plant. The government is also testing milk.
Future vaccines can help, but vaccinating millions of chickens through shots is not practical, and other countries can refuse to buy meat from vaccination birds.
Health officials emphasize that any sick birds or cattle are kept out of food supply. Bird flu, e. Kololi kills Salmonella or something. Pasteurization also kills the virus in milk. Raw milk is the only food product associated with diseases so far.
What is the outbreak so far?
It is impossible to know how much the farmers have spent to seal the barn, build a shower house for workers or adopt other bio -safety measures.
Minnesota Turkish farmer Lauren Brew said, “In the last five years, my small farm alone has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on biosity.” “But not only that, it’s daily time that you are participating in bio -safety.”
The US Agriculture Department has spent at least $ 1.14 billion to the farmers who have to kill them. A similar number was not immediately available how much has been spent to help the dairies.
USDA spokesperson Shilo Veer said that the department also spent more than $ 576 million on its response.
Some pressure from bird flu has also been seen in turkey, milk and chicken prices.
Mike Vicers, a manager of the Center’s liquor and supermarket in Miniapolis, said he cannot stock any organic, cage-free or brown eggs right now and is limited rather than selling large or jumbo eggs. He understands that customers are feeling that the customers are feeling.
He said, “This is the first time in my life that I have been embarrassed in such a way what I am doing.” “And this is not our fault. We are paying $ 7.45 for a dozen eggs today. We are selling for $ 7.59. We are making $ 0.14. It does not pay the bills.