AP Business Writer May Anderson
NEW YORK (AP) – Egg prices hit a high again in February. This is because bird flu continues to ramp out and carry out Easter and Passover approaches.
The latest monthly consumer price index averaged $5.90 in US cities in February, indicating that Grade A eggs cost 10.4% more than a year ago. It overturned the record high price of $4.95 in January.
The bird flu forced farmers to massacre more than 166 million birds. Most were chickens soaking in eggs. More than 30 million egg layers have been killed since the beginning of the year.
If prices are high, consumers have faced sticker shocks for three consecutive years in a row before Easter on April 20th and Passover, which begins on the evening of April 12th.
Prices were consistently under $2 for decades before the disease began. The USDA expects it to rise 41% this year, an average of $3.17 per dozen last year.
But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Last week, the USDA reported that egg shortages have eased and wholesale prices have fallen. It said there had been no major avian flu outbreaks for two weeks.
“Shoppers have begun to see the dairy shell egg offerings become more reliable, despite the fact that retail price levels still haven’t received much adjustment and remain unpleasant to many,” the USDA wrote in a March 7 report.
David Anderson, professor and extension economist in livestock and food marketing at Texas A&M University, said the wholesale figures that buying fewer eggs could potentially lower prices as shoppers respond to higher prices is a good indication.
“What that is supposed to say to us is that things are being eased a little in terms of price,” he said. “Now, the next CPI report could be very good at lower egg prices.”
However, he does not expect lasting changes until he can restock his bird stock and exchange production.
“Record-high prices are a market signal for more producers, but it takes time to make more production possible. We still haven’t had enough time for that to happen,” he said. “But I think it’s going to happen. But it’s going to take a few more months to get there.”
Advocacy groups and others are asking for a look into whether egg producers used the price range using the avian flu. But egg producers say avian flu is behind only rising prices.
Meanwhile, the restaurant added additional fees and made other changes to offset the cost of the egg.
The Trump administration has announced plans to fight avian flu, $500 million investment to help farmers strengthen biosecurity measures, additional aid for farmers affected by avian flu, $100 million, and $100 million in additional aid to study and potentially develop vaccines and treatments for chicken flocks. But it will take some time before it affects the plan.
Original issue: March 12, 2025, 1:17pm EDT
