Since the beginning of the year, more than 30 million layers have been culled due to an outbreak of avian influenza, leading to a significant increase in egg prices in the United States. This situation could mark the third consecutive year in which consumers face higher prices ahead of the Christian and Jewish Easter festivities, where eggs play a relevant role.
The Consumer Price Index reports that in February, a dozen Grade A eggs had an average price of $5.90 in U.S. cities, representing a 10.4% increase compared to the previous year and surpassing the record price of $4.95 set in January. The avian flu has forced farmers to cull more than 166 million birds, primarily layers.
Mexico has become the main supplier of eggs to the United States amid the shortage of this product in the country due to the outbreak of avian influenza. In January of this year, imports of eggs from Mexico reached 1.4 million dozen, valued at $2,016,000, marking a significant increase compared to previous months.
In addition to Mexico, other countries such as Turkey and Canada have also increased their egg exports to the United States. Turkey positioned itself as the second supplier with 597,000 dozen, while Canada took the third place with 578,000 dozen. The avian flu crisis in the United States has had significant repercussions in the food market, causing shortages and price increases for consumers and businesses that rely on this input.
