At a Glance:
- The bird flu outbreaks have turned severe and spread in the United States and France, which are narrowing the global egg supplies.
- It has been reported as the worst bird flu outbreak since 2015 and by far has eliminated 6% of the country’s flock in the U.S.
- The world food prices have increased 13% in March which is a record high due to the Ukraine war crisis.
Bird Flue outbreaks were previously reported in some areas of the U.S. Now the outbreaks have turned severe and spreading in the United States and France, which are narrowing the global egg supplies. The prices have also raised for the food staples as the war between Russia and Ukraine is disrupting the shipments through Europe and the Middle East.
The rising prices are going to affect the consumers that rely on eggs as a low-cost source of protein and replace them with expensive meat. The demand is going to increase around the Easter and Passover holidays in the U.S. and Europe as families use eggs to bake and dye Easter eggs.
Bird flu outbreak gets Worst
If the poultry catches bird flu the entire flock is discarded to contain the disease that is often spread by wild birds. This year, bird flu has wiped out more than 19 million egg-laying chickens from commercial U.S. farms. It has been reported as the worst bird blue outbreak since 2015 and by far has eliminated 6% of the country’s flock. In France, the outbreak is even worse and has eliminated 8% of egg-laying hens.
The latest challenges affecting the egg suppliers are the virus and war which are also grappling with the labor shortages and high costs for energy and grain used for animal feed.
Food Prices rise drastically
The world food prices have increased 13% in March which is a record high due to the Ukraine war crisis. Ukraine is among the major exporter of wheat and corn, the war pushed up grain prices.
The egg prices are also estimated to stay high and it will take months for the commercial farms to operate normally again. This will also affect the commodities which use eggs in food items like cake and pancake mixes.
