Egg prices continue to increase despite bird flu outbreak slowing

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press Business Writer U S egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record-high of despite a drop in wholesale prices and no egg farms having bird flu outbreaks The increase published Thursday in the Consumer Price Index means consumers and businesses that rely on eggs should not anticipate immediate relief Demand for eggs is typically elevated until after Easter which falls on April Related Articles Cleanup underway of the Keystone oil pipeline spill in North Dakota Former Facebook executive tells Senate committee company undermined US national shield with China US Postal Provision seeks to hike cost of a first-class stamp to cents The United States and China are locked in a faceoff over tariffs No one wants to blink first Woman can testify Weinstein used force to rape her despite his acquittal judge rules Industry experts were expecting the index to reflect a drop in retail egg prices because wholesale egg prices dropped significantly in March Bird flu outbreaks were cited as the major cause of price spikes in January and February after more than million egg-laying chickens were killed to prevent the spread of the syndrome Selected farms that had fall outbreaks are resuming egg production after sanitizing their barns and raising new flocks President Donald Trump tried to take credit for the lower wholesale egg prices the U S Department of Agriculture revealed in modern weeks But experts say the president s plan to fight bird flu by focusing on strengthening egg farmers defenses against the virus is likely to be more of a long-term help Since the current bird flu outbreak began more than million birds have been slaughtered greater part of them egg-laying chickens Any time a bird gets sick the entire flock is killed to help keep bird flu from spreading That can have an effect on the egg supply because massive egg farms may have millions of birds The malady is complicated to control because it is spread easily through the droppings of wild birds that carry the avian flu virus Bird flu has also inflected other animals including dairy cattle Earlier in the outbreak egg prices spiked to hit in January before gradually falling as low as per dozen in August Generally prices have since increased steadily