Bird flu drives US egg prices to all-time highs before Christmas

Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. wholesale egg prices are shattering records as an accelerating outbreak of bird flu in laying hens slashes supplies while shoppers buy more to bake Christmas cookies and other holiday treats.

The increases hit consumers already grappling with stubborn inflation and bracing for potentially higher prices on a broad range of items if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on plans to slap tariffs on goods from China and Mexico.

Wholesale prices for large eggs reached $5.57 per dozen in the Midwest on Wednesday, up 150% from a year ago and topping the previous record of $5.46 from December 2022, commodity data firm Expana said.

Prices are even harder to stomach in California, where supplies are further constrained by rules that prohibit farmers from raising hens in cages. There, eggs set an eye-popping record of $8.85 per dozen, Expana said.

Those high prices are a bonanza for farmers who manage to avoid bird flu outbreaks and are not locked in to long-term pricing arrangements that help control costs at some major retailers. But consumers could still suffer.

The average retail price of a dozen eggs exceeded $3.60 in November, up from $2.50 at the start of the year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only in September was the average price higher, at $3.80.

Retailers have been slow to pass on higher costs, in part because they do not want to scare away shoppers during the busy holiday season, but they may lift prices in the new year, said Karyn Rispoli, Expana's managing editor for eggs.

In an early sign of an impact, U.S. grocery chain Giant, owned by Ahold Delhaize (AD.AS...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]