Posted on 05/14/2022 1:47:34 PM PDT by blam
Food prices are rising across the U.S., but the latest sticker shock at the supermarket is in the eggs and poultry aisles, as the deadly bird flu wreaks havoc on the country’s egg-laying hen flock.
Inflation data tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found a dozen of eggs jumped 23% in April compared with the month before to $2.52. Prices reached levels not seen since early 2016, a period that followed the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak of 2014-15, which led to a 50% increase in egg prices in the second half of 2015.
Since January, the outbreak has spread to 32 states, killing more than 37 million chickens and turkeys. Of that, 29 million egg-laying hens have died, or about 10% of the U.S.’ total flock of 300 million. Bloomberg says the bird flu is “shaping up to be the worst outbreak of its kind.”
“When the outbreaks first started, the jump in wholesale values was being driven primarily by demand, as there was a bit of panic and short covering going on in the marketplace. But at this point, so much production has been removed from the landscape that it’s more of a supply-side issue,” Karyn Rispoli, an egg market reporter at commodity research firm Urner Barry, told CBS News.
Breakfast has become the most expensive in years. It’s not just eggs, orange juice and wheat prices are also soaring.(They forgot to mention coffee)
Egg prices could be headed higher as there are no indications the avian influenza spread is under control. This is just another sign that food shortages could get much worse in the second half of the year.
Insightful with good info. Thanks.
We have chickens. Free eggs everyday.
I wonder about the accuracy of their bird flu test itself. One positive and the farmer is ordered to eliminate/destroy all the birds.
Wonder if farms are targeted based on political persuasion. I would not be surprised.
Yea. I love a fried egg sandwich with mayonnaise, sliced fresh garden tomatoes, salt & pepper...hmmm, so good.
Given the documented uncertainty of the PCR tests, an edict that the entire flock be destroyed after a single “positive” is highly suspect.
I've already had 3 bluebirds and 4 sparrows leave the nest this year. A second round of four bluebirds are nesting presently.
Yes and eggs from your own chickens are much healthier and tastier.
At my local supermarket, a can of spaghetti and meatballs went from 1.05 to 1.49 in one price hike. Many other things also jumped up 50% in one day. I suppose it is gas/transportation....
I have 4 hens and I live in a suburb—I recommend other freepers do this too: it’s easy to have a backyard coop. And 4 eggs a day (less in winter) is plenty for my family of 3.
H5N1 has a 60% CFR rate in humans if it makes the jump and goes airborne like H1N1 then what the world just went through will be a milf spring fever at H5N1 rates society will collapse that’s twice the death rate of the black death. It is absolutely imperative that H5N1 be squashed and that means killing every vector if that means a doubling in price so be it. The costs of it jumping would be likely the collapse of civilization as we know it a society cannot sustain a 60+% death rate and not devolve to anarchy and chaos.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4001451/
...this year has been a pretty good year for songbirds and I don’t see thousands of wild birds dying off.
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We’re on the flyway and have an amazingingly diverse number of song birds. Baltimore Oriels are back and we have a Rosy Chested Grosbeak pair this year. Huge flock of mourning doves, too. Jays are here all year, The robins have been back f 6 weeks and we have a year-round variety of various woodpeckers.
No dead birds in the yard.
My chicken mom friend has her flock enclosed instead of free range. A friend of hers in Michigan had the authorities kill her chickens, turkey and a pet peacock after 3 hens died..
That makes better sense than 10% bird flu.
Paid a buck for 10 eggs yesterday here in Japan .
she's trying to set up a market in her area which is small and it hasn't taken off yet so we get all her eggs.....we have many dozen sitting in the fridge in the garage....
pound cake....I make lots of pound cake....
All the eggs are golden eggs.
Decimating the food supply (10%). Engineered famine.
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