In the US, the price of eggs has fallen due to low demand and the fact that cases of avian influenza have decreased in recent months. In this country, more than 43 million laying hens were lost last year.
Over the past week, consumer demand for cartons of eggs remained moderate to well below average, as shoppers see little price incentive to shop beyond their basic necessities at their local stores.
With demand at low levels, supply continues to be more available and the recent sharp decline in wholesale egg prices appears to be prompting a response from retailers, even if their focus remains on offering cage-free eggs at traditional cage rates. You are on it.
- From the USDA, it has been indicated that if there is anything positive to be seen after the Avian Influenza outbreak, it is that the price difference between caged chickens and cage-free chickens is narrowing. Therefore, the latter are becoming more affordable for consumers.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index for eggs in April averaged $3,27 per dozen, down 1.5%, 121% from April 2022 levels, a decrease of $0.18 per dozen from March (Figure 1).
It should be noted that in January 2023, in the US, the average price of a dozen eggs registered an increase of over 220% over the previous twelve months analyzed to that date. This was mainly due to the outbreak of Avian Influenza H5N1 in this country, which recorded a record number of dead birds due to this disease.
Egg production in the United States during March 2023 totaled 9.21 billion. This is 3% less than the same period last year, but an improvement from the nearly 30% decline seen in 2022 after avian influenza. Because according to the USDA, more than 43 million chickens were lost last year.
Meanwhile, the commitment to producing cage-free eggs from April 2023 remains unchanged, requiring 66.7 billion cage-free eggs per year to meet 100% of the cage-free herd’s needs. biological herd).
- This indicates a shortfall of 118.2 million chickens from the current non-organic cage-free flock of 103.2 million chickens. The average laying rate for non-organic cage-free, pen/aviary production is currently estimated at 81.4%.
