While the cost of most groceries is on the rise, it is the price of eggs that is grabbing the attention of many consumers, rising nearly 60 percent year over year as some retail locations see low supply.
It marks the largest annual jump since 1973. David Anderson with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service shares how Avian Influenza has played a part by being so unexpected.
“You know we could go back to a couple of other reasons over the last several years that have led to some falling production and you know we could think we’ve probably would have had higher prices anyway, but its high path avian influenza that has really cut production and driven prices higher,” Anderson says.
He also added that some of the other factors contributing to those prices are higher feed costs and higher transportation costs.
Another case of High Path Avian Influenza has been reported in the U.S. This time in Virginia.
According to APHIS, more than 25,000 birds were lost after an outbreak at a commercial turkey meat farm in the northern part of the state. The Virginia Department of Agriculture currently has a six-mile testing zone around the site. They ask all bird producers to check and update their biosecurity plans in order to prevent further spread of the virus. So far, nearly 58 million birds have been culled nationwide since the outbreak began last year.
The disease has also been detected in West Tennessee. This is the fifth case found in Weakley County. Animal health officials have established a six-mile control zone around the affected facility, meaning poultry will be tested and monitored in that area and any movement of birds will require a permit until it is lifted.
And in Tennessee alone, more than 600 family farms contribute to the commercial poultry industry. The state is a global leader for primary breeders and 45 percent of the chicken consumed across the world can be traced back to Tennessee farms.
