U.S. shell egg prices have increased in the first few months of 2024, compared to what they were during the same time period in 2023. Nevertheless, egg prices are still down significantly from where they were at their peak early in 2023, explained USDA economist Megan Sweitzer during the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent Radio Newsline.
However, egg prices have started to climb again. Prices went up in February by 8.5%, she explained, and are now averaging US$2.92 per dozen compared to US$2.28 the same time last year. The USDA’s Egg Market report, published on March 18th, 2024, found that large, shell eggs are currently US$2.91 per dozen in California and US$2.88 in New Hampshire.
Sweitzer said the price increase is largely due to new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that were detected at the end of 2023. Prices could also be affected by Easter, as the hoiliday falls two weeks earlier in 2024 than it did in 2023.
Are HPAI cases on the rise?
In December alone the, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that over 9 million commercial table egg layers were affected with HPAI. Some of the larger losses occurred in Hardin County, Ohio, with 2.6 million layers, and Merced County, California, with 1.4 million layers.
In November, USDA APHIS reported that over 5 million layers contracted HPAI, with 1.6 million birds in Sioux County, Iowa, and 1.3 million birds in Union County, Ohio.
The U.S. egg industry has not seen many HPAI cases in February or March 2024, so egg prices will hopefully decline before the end of the year, explained Sweitzer.
According to the February 2024 edition of the USDA’s Chicken and Egg report, there were approximately 388 million layers in the U.S. in November 2023 and 377 million layers in January 2024.
According to the USDA APHIS, over 14 million table egg layers were depopulated due to HPAI in 2023, while more than 43 million were depopulated in 2022.
