The avian influenza epidemic hit egg-laying poultry flocks and spared the growers who produce broiler chickens used for meat. But many nations restricted or altogether banned U.S. poultry products because of the flu. The result is a rapidly increasing supply of chicken, says the monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook. And when supplies go up, prices come down.
“Larger supplies of broiler products are expected to push [wholesale] prices lower in the third and fourth quarters” of the year, said the USDA. The third quarter begins on July 1. The department estimated whole bird prices at $1 per pound in the fourth quarter, which begins on Oct. 1, “down slightly from $1.03 per pound the previous year.”
Chicken producers are forecast to increase production by 4.5 percent from last year’s level, to 40.3 billion pounds, lured by “continued gains in the domestic economy and relatively low grain prices,” said the USDA.
Meanwhile, bird flu was tentatively identified on an egg farm with 1 million hens in Wright County, about 90 miles north of Des Moines, said the Iowa Agriculture Department.
“Depopulation has been completed of birds impacted by avian influenza at previously announced sites in Iowa,” said Iowa officials. “Before today’s announcement, a total of 76 sites and 32.7 million birds have been affected by the virus …. Disposal of affected birds is ongoing. Composting, burial, incineration and landfills are all being used. Over 650 bio-secure boxes have been disposed via incineration or at one of the two currently approved landfills.”
The USDA has more than 2,200 staff workers and contractors working on the bird-flu epidemic in Iowa. More than 300 state employees are taking part as well.