If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you may have noticed egg prices are soaring. Colorado farmers we spoke to say the Avian Flu is to blame for the nationwide egg shortage.
Devastation Across Large Commercial Farms
Large commercial farms in Colorado report that the Avian Flu has wreaked havoc over the past year and a half. Bill Scebbi with Colorado Egg Producers explains the impact. “We have about 7.2 million hens in the state of Colorado. That population has been completely wiped out,” Scebbi says.
The Long Road to Recovery
Infected facilities must undergo thorough sanitization to eradicate the virus before they can begin the repopulation process. Scebbi highlights the time it takes to restore egg production: “It’s part of agriculture. We’re growing the product as we go along.”
Meanwhile, some, like Colorado State Rep. Ken DeGraaf, have pointed fingers at the state’s new cage-free laws as a potential cause for the egg shortage. However, producers like Scebbi refute this claim, stating that these regulations do not affect the current supply and demand situation.
The Ongoing Threat of Avian Flu
“When you don’t have hens, you don’t have egg supply,” Scebbi emphasizes. The flu’s deadly impact means that when it infects a flock, it decimates the entire population. The uncertainty of the virus’ spread makes it difficult to predict when the shortage will end.
“As long as we have this virus going around, it’s possible that other farms could be hit,” Scebbi adds, noting that one Colorado farm had to repopulate twice last year due to repeated infections.
Economic Implications for Farmers
Like many other products on the commodity market, eggs are price takers, not price makers. This means that producers have little control over the market prices, which are influenced by broader supply and demand dynamics.
The hope remains that the industry can recover swiftly, but the path to normalization is fraught with challenges, as long as the threat of the Avian Flu looms.
