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U.S. poultry industry still recovering from HPAI losses ahead of World Egg Day

The American Egg Board says the industry is still recovering from losses caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza as the fall bird migration season picks up.

CEO Emily Metz tells Brownfield more than 70 million birds were lost between last October and this March.

“We’re repopulating it as quickly as we can, but we’re still not recovered fully, and so there’s still disruption,” she explains.

She says egg prices over the summer have eased from record highs and are currently the lowest they’ve been in two years.

“But we recognize that people are paying more for eggs than they did a couple of years ago, and we appreciate consumers sort of understanding and taking the time to understand what’s driving those prices, which is bird flu,” she says.

Metz says World Egg Day on Friday, October 10, is a chance to recognize the value of eggs in global nutrition, and this year, the resilience of the U.S. egg supply.

“Our industry is coming together to really invest more in our organization, the American Egg Board, and across the industry to really be the powerhouse we can be and safeguard our future,” she says.

Reports of HPAI cases on commercial poultry operations have started to increase since the beginning of September.

The USDA says 22 commercial flocks have tested positive in the last 30 days, affecting 4.3 million birds, including in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.

A dairy herd in Nebraska on September 15 was also confirmed with disease.