Mississippi egg producer says bird flu brings higher egg prices

Published 8:03 am Thursday, April 7, 2022

: Flora Tyler shops for eggs at the Natchez Market on John R. Junkin Drive. Due to the spread of an avian flu virus that resulted in the death and euthanization of millions of commercial chickens, the price of eggs has gone up. (File photo | The Natchez Democrat)

JACKSON (AP) — Easter egg dying may cost you a little more than usual this holiday.

A Mississippi company that produces eggs in more than a dozen states says it has seen a significant impact on prices since the outbreak of bird flu.

According to Jackson-based Cal Maine Foods Inc., the avian influenza virus is having a significant impact on egg prices.

Egg prices have jumped about $2 over the past three weeks compared to the same time last year, said the company’s chief financial officer and vice president Max Bowman.

Across the U.S., farmers have had to kill about 22 million birds due to bird flu.

Because the virus is so infectious and deadly for commercial poultry, entire flocks are destroyed and composted on the farms when they are infected.

The cases in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.