American farmers and those in the agricultural business continue to reel over the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which apparently shows no sign of slowing to “disaster” status.
“The real crisis is that we’re going through the worst bird flu outbreak that we’ve had in the last 10 years since 2015, potentially the worst bird flu outbreak that we’ve ever had in the history of this country,” Eggs Unlimited Vice President Brian Moscogiuri said on “Fox & Friends” Thursday.
“We’ve lost 120 million birds since the beginning of 2022. In the last few months alone, since the middle of October, we’ve lost 45 million egg-laying hens,” he added. “We’ve lost a significant amount of production, more than 13%. So we’re just dealing with supply shortages. And it’s just a disaster right now because this virus is in three of the top egg-laying states in the country. It doesn’t seem like it’s stopping anytime soon.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bird flu detections have been made in dairy cattle, wild birds, poultry flocks and other mammals, while 68 human cases have been confirmed as well as one death.
EGG PRICES AREN’T COMING DOWN ANYTIME SOON, EXPERTS SAY
Companies recently started imposing limits on egg sales as the shortage caused by outbreaks persists, causing a frenzy among shoppers. Droves of viral videos have surfaced in recent weeks, showing shoppers stockpiling eggs. One video posted on TikTok claimed that an entire section of eggs at a Costco was gone in less than 10 minutes.
Other grocery and restaurant chains like Trader Joe’s, Korger, Whole Foods and Waffle House have been limiting customer purchases or adding egg surcharges as the nationwide supply dwindles.
“We’re just trying to figure out, and the farmers are trying to figure out, how the virus is getting in… there’s several different catalysts, including wild migratory birds that have been flying over the country in the fall, in the spring each year… And we’re also wondering, is it in the ground? Is it in the air on these farms? Some of these farms that have been able to clean out and are working on repopulating have actually been hit again,” Moscogiuri said.
“The farms really need help in identifying where the virus is coming in from, and then,” he expanded, “solutions to stopping the virus so that they can repopulate, resupply and ultimately help to bring the egg prices back down.”
Since January, average egg prices have risen 15% and are up 53% year-over-year, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
Eggs Unlimited is one of the largest international suppliers of eggs, servicing major retailers, distributors and food service companies while also serving as a sort of egg “broker,” according to Moscogiuri.
Business is understandably “difficult” right now, he said.
“There’s less eggs available. Right now, we’re really focused on making sure that our customers are getting the orders and their supply, and making sure that they have eggs on their shelves. For consumers, [we’re] trying to limit their impact with the pricing and the supply chain shortages that we’re currently seeing right now.”
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FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.
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