Dramatic increase
USA: Bird flu causes egg prices to explode
Because millions of laying hens had to be culled due to an outbreak of bird flu, egg prices have risen dramatically in the USA. Retailers such as Walmart are already limiting the quantities they sell in order to safeguard scarce stocks.
According to the Department of Agriculture, more than 24 million laying hens have been slaughtered since December due to the rampant bird flu. Eggs have thus become a rare and expensive commodity. In some supermarkets, a dozen top-quality eggs cost more than ten dollars (just under ten euros), while the cheapest eggs are available for six dollars.
Price of eggs more than doubled in some cases
That is more than double the usual price. Special varieties such as organic and cage-free eggs are even more expensive. The current rise in egg prices is the sharpest since the last outbreak of avian flu in 2015 and, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, accounts for about two-thirds of the total increase in food costs over the past month.
Egg shortage turns Texans into chicken farmers
Americans, used to spending little on the staple egg, are unsettled. More and more want to provide their own breakfast eggs and keep chickens. "Our poultry sales have doubled or maybe even tripled," says John Berry, a breeder from Houston in the state of Texas. He is benefiting from the egg shortage in the States.
US restaurant chain charges extra
In some stores the egg shelves are empty, in others no more than a dozen eggs are sold per customer. The restaurant chain "Waffle House" charges an extra 50 US cents for every egg in a dish.
Prices are unlikely to fall in the near future. Due to the high demand during the holidays, egg prices soar around Easter.
In January, the US Department of Agriculture predicted that egg prices in the United States are likely to rise by 20 percent in 2025.
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