The United States is facing a severe shortage of eggs due to another outbreak of avian influenza. Millions of egg-laying hens have been culled, leading to a significant drop in production and skyrocketing prices. The average price of a dozen eggs in California has surged to $8.97, more than double last year's price.
The bird flu is ravaging the nation’s egg-laying flock in yet another seasonal upswing for the disease, says Brian Moscogiuri, an analyst who tracks the industry for Irvine-based distributor Eggs Unlimited. Destroying infected birds is slashing the nation’s ability to keep up with demand. It’s a shortfall that will take months to repair.
The key is the loss of egg makers. Moscogiuri says the industry is down 20 million hens to flu in the past three months out of the nation’s typical 312 million flock. California farmers culled 9 million egg layers in 2024’s last two months alone.Daniel Sumner, an agriculture professor at UC Davis, says California prices have surged sharply because state law requires “cage free” living for hens. The current version of this flu has been especially rough on this type of chicken.
Moscogiuri hopes that economics will help, noting that “elevated retail prices should help to slow demand, and ultimately allow the market to retreat, but we continue to have a real risk of avian flu into the middle of January.”“The country is going to need to avoid major production setbacks for four to six months for the market to normalize,” he says.
Bird Flu Egg Shortage Inflation Agriculture Food Prices
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