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Egg production According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), November in the United States fell 4 percent as egg prices and cases of bird flu continue to rise across the country.
The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service announced that egg production totaled 8.92 billion in November, down 4 percent from the same period last year.
Of the 8.92 billion eggs produced, 7.68 billion were table eggs and 1.24 billion were hatching eggs, the main difference being that eating eggs are not fertilized and are not capable of becoming chicks.
Also, in November, 376 million laying eggs were produced with a decrease of 3% compared to last year, and an average of 2374 eggs were produced per 100 layers.
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Test tubes labeled “bird flu” and eggs are seen in this image. (Reuters/Dado Rovic/Photo Reuters)
Since November, the number of layers has dropped even more, with the USDA reporting a total of 375 million layers on December 1, 2024, a 3 percent decrease from last year.
The news comes as egg prices continue to rise, a trend industry experts say will continue into 2025 if highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu infections, continues. will continue
Kevin Bergquist, director of Wells Fargo's Agricultural Institute, said egg prices have increased since 2023 due to a combination of seasonal price increases during the holidays and egg supply disruptions due to bird flu.
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Modern chicken farm for breeding chicken and white eggs, multi-level conveyor, interior, copy space, chicken farm (iStock)
According to Bergquist, prices have remained “generally” higher than 2023 prices last year and even “often exceeded egg prices from 2022, when HPAI really took over the egg market.”
Wholesale egg prices, which rose nearly 55 percent in November, don't necessarily reflect consumer eggs. Prices in grocery stores, That can be very different.
According to the Consumer Price Index, food prices rose 0.5 percent in November, and four of the six major food groups at grocery stores saw price increases. Eggs showed the biggest increase by a wide margin.
Egg prices are higher and will continue until 2025
In the hands of a woman packing eggs in a supermarket (iStock)
Meat, poultry and fish prices rose 1.7 percent in November, but egg prices rose 8.2 percent.
Before the big bird flu outbreak According to Bergquist, in March 2022, flock numbers were at a level that would support lower egg prices. The wholesale price is less than $1.50 per dozen, he noted.
However, the outbreak disrupted the market and led to record egg prices in December 2022. As producer herds rebuild, the average price is revised to a lower level by 2023.
Bergquist said that with the re-emergence of bird flu in late 2023 and into 2024, flock sizes were again challenged, resulting in undersupplied egg markets.
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Producers have not yet been able to rebuild the entire laying flock with a resurgence of the disease this year.
FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.