A Long Island farm is facing closure after being forced to cull its nearly 100,000 ducks due to an outbreak of bird flu. The nationwide surge in avian influenza cases has led to soaring egg prices and widespread disruptions in the poultry industry.
A Long Island farm announced it would be forced to kill its flock of nearly 100,000 ducks due to an outbreak of bird flu. Empty shelves and higher prices are what many shoppers are finding when they head to the grocery store to buy eggs. Egg prices have been soaring recently. The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs has risen from about $3.30 in October to $4.15 in December, according to the US Department of Agriculture .
It's not unheard of for a dozen eggs to cost as much as $12 — or a dollar an egg — as the calendar prepares to flip into February 2025. This comes down to a nationwide outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu. New cases of bird flu have emerged in nearly 25 states this month. Amid the current outbreak, some farms have had to euthanize their entire populations of birds to contain the spread of the disease — including Kakadoodle Farm in Frankfort, Illinois, which recently made the decision to kill nearly 3,000 hens. 'We just know that we have no control and we are just making the next best choice for our family and our farm,' said a representative from Kakadoodle Farm, speaking to the hardship of the situation. In Long Island, New York, a farm also said it would be forced to kill its flock of nearly 100,000 ducks, and is facing going out of business. Since the current bird flu outbreak started in 2022, more than 135 million birds have been affected. Avian influenza is especially harmful because of how quickly it can spread from bird to bird. 'Once one bird gets the flu, they all get taken out in short order,' Michael Swanson, a Wells Fargo economist, said on The virus has also been popping up in other animals, including cows, cats, skunks and bears, with more than two dozen cases in cats since early December. Cats could contract bird flu through eating a raw diet, or by interacting with wildlife, veterinarian Evan Antin told Ikeda on TODAY. With avian flu cases on the rise in recent months, egg prices at the grocery store are not likely to plummet anytime soon. In fact, they will likely get higher. Since December, more than 13 million birds have been lost nationwide due to outbreaks of avian flu, resulting in 'record-high' prices as egg producers 'struggled to provide a consistent supply to consumers,' according to the latest USDA reports. To deal with shortages, many grocery stores are setting limits per shopping trip on egg buying, and are posting signs warning consumers about egg shortages, the USDA said. This year, it has infected dozens of people in 10 states and spread to Canada. A patient in Louisiana with a severe case of the bird flu died earlier this month after being hospitalized. The FDA also says the likelihood of eggs from infected birds reaching store shelves is low.
BIRD FLU AVIAN INFLUENZA EGG SHORTAGE FARM PRICES AGRICULTURE
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