Avian Flu in Chickens and Turkeys Lead to Rise in Price of Eggs

NEW YORK (Matis Glenn) — You might need to “shell” out more for Eggs ahead of Pesach, as both inflation and an outbreak of bird flu sweep the nation. Since the outbreak began in February, egg prices have soared 52% according to the USDA. Eggs typically are more expensive during this time of year, but according to the weekly “Egg Market News Report” put out by the USDA, prices are 44% more than they were in April of 2021.

The good news?  According to the “Egg Markets Overview” of the same agency, while prices increase, there are no major concerns of shortages.

The outbreak, which began with reports of bird flu infected turkeys in Dubois County, Indiana, has since spread across 24 Central and Eastern states. Very contagious, the bird flu has caused 23 million chickens and turkeys to be killed, in the largest outbreak of bird flu since 2015.

In New York State, the United States Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of bird flu in a non-commercial backyard flock in Suffolk County in February. Samples from the flock were tested at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center and confirmed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

The department’s news release didn’t specify the location in Suffolk County or the breed of the birds.

The outbreak is concentrated mainly in the Eastern and Central United States, but cases have been reported in the Dakotas and Wyoming as the bird flu makes its way west, the USDA said.

Also among the 24 states with bird flu outbreaks are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Egg prices are increasing as well. Nationally, they cost about $2.88 a dozen, up 52 percent since the first confirmed case of the bird flu in February, according to the USDA.

In New York, the price to retailers for large, white eggs went up 8 percent from March 25 to April 1. In the weeks before Pesach, prices have gone up to nearly $4.00 per dozen in some retail locations.

The CDC says that the risk of human infection is low, though it recommends precautions when dealing with eggs. Cooking to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu viruses. The CDC has long advised against eggs cooked sunny side up or over-easy.

While humans should avoid eating meat or eggs from poultry infected with bird flu, the Agriculture Department says there’s little chance infected poultry products will enter the food chain.

“Based on available epidemiologic and virologic information about these viruses, CDC believes that the risk to the general public’s health from current H5N1 bird flu viruses is low,” the agency said, adding. “However, some people may have job-related or recreational exposures to birds that put them at higher risk of infection.”