After increasing by 68 percent in five weeks, the price of eggs in supermarkets is down slightly. The average price for a dozen Large white eggs Grade A or better is $1.98 this week, 7 cents less than the previous week, according to the USDA’s National Retail Report. “Shoppers will … find some relief,” says the report, noting more stores are featuring eggs in their advertisements. “The percentage of ‘no price’ incentives, however, drops sharply this week.” No-price incentives are offers such as “buy one, get one free.”
Avian influenza is forecast to reduce U.S. egg production by 5 percent this year. The USDA “already approved the purchase of egg products from the Netherlands and started the paperwork to endorse the imports of shell eggs from Spain,” says The PoultrySite. Spain has 40 million egg-laying hens and is the fourth-largest egg producer in the European Union.
The bird-flu epidemic has died down in the Midwest. The Iowa Agriculture Department says the last confirmed case was on June 16. “Cleaning and disinfection is taking place,” says the department. “Environmental samplings of all sites will take place to confirm successful cleaning and disinfecting before restocking.” Iowa, the largest egg-producing state, lost 31.5 million fowl to the virus, including 24.7 million laying hens.
In Minnesota, the last reported outbreak was June 5, more than three weeks ago, says the state Department of Public Safety. Fourteen farms of the 108 hit by the disease have cleaned and disinfected their barns, the first step toward resumption of production. Some 9 million fowl were lost to avian influenza in Minnesota, the No. 1 turkey producer. Three counties have been released from quarantine.
The USDA’s running tally of confirmed cases in poultry farms lists 223 outbreaks with 48.1 million fowl lost. The last confirmed case was June 17.