Bird flu continues to drive egg prices
As expected, peak demand for eggs during Easter came at a time of tighter supplies.
In the recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate’s report, egg production was lowered on recent hatchery and production data although imports were raised on recent trade data.
The egg supply was estimated at 14.2 million dozen eggs, which was nearly 9 million lower than in April 2024. WASDE is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Production was estimated to be 8.83 billion dozen eggs in April, a reduction of 55 million dozen from the previous report. Wholesale white large shell eggs were estimated at $3.08 per dozen.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, in March, the Consumer Price Index for eggs increased 5.9% and 60.4% over the year level, according to the USDA’s Egg Markets Overview. The result was an average price of $6.23 per dozen, which was up 33 cents a dozen over the previous month.
“This has been an incredibly challenging time for the egg industry. Our egg farmers are in the fight of their lives,” said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board in a news release. “We know how frustrating it is when people find empty shelves or unusually high prices at the store. And we know our restaurant, grocery and food manufacturers are frustrated, too. Egg farmers feel the same way, and we’re working on solutions. These challenges are especially difficult during spring celebrations like Easter and Passover, when eggs hold such an important place in cherished family traditions.”
Recently, the USDA announced a five-pronged approach to address HPAI and the related egg supply and price challenges, which includes vaccination research, temporary egg imports, biosecurity, disaster relief and regulatory changes.
“The Administration’s plan to combat avian influenza is a road map toward restoring the egg industry,” Metz said. “While there is no quick fix to recover from an outbreak that is now in its fourth year, focusing on these innovative strategies is a critical step forward in addressing this unprecedented systemic disruption in our egg-production system.”
“Egg farmers are doing all they can to restore the egg supply and get those eggs back to stores and to our customers at a more affordable price. We could not be more grateful for the outpouring of concern from everyone who loves eggs—from grocery shoppers to our valued business partners,” Metz said. “Egg farmers want everyone to know how much that matters, to say thank you in a very public way, and to ask for America’s patience as they fight this terrible disease.”
Outbreaks of avian influenza in commercial egg layer flocks since Jan. 1 have resulted in the depopulation of 30.3 million birds—19.3 million in conventional caged systems, 11 million in cage-free systems and 26,000 in organic systems. That represents about 10.6% of the convention flock, 10.8% of the non-organic cage-free flock and 0.1% of the organic flock.
As of April, APHS has confirmed 40 outbreaks in layer flocks in Arizona, California, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
In partnership with animal disease experts, veterinarians, and state and federal government leaders, the egg industry is working tirelessly to impede the spread of bird flu on the nation’s farms, Metz said. The entire system of egg production, nationally, has been severely disrupted due to the ongoing outbreak of HPAI. Since the outbreak began, more than 130 million egg-laying hens have been lost due to the disease.
Broiler production was raised for the second half of 2025 and turkey production was lowered on recent hatchery and production data and broiler exports were lowered on less competitive U.S. prices during the second half of the year.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
