Egg Prices Continue to Skyrocket

USDA Looks for Input from Public Bozrah is a small town in New London County, Connecticut, which saw the deaths of an estimated 100,000 hens as the result of a fire at Hillandale Farms.What would normally be considered a local story only has gained national attention due to the ongoing egg shortage and speculation that the loss of so many egg-layers could exacerbate the shortage and further increase already skyrocketing egg prices.An ongoing outbreak of avian flu has forced the culling of thousands of birds in Nebraska and throughout the U.S. and consumers are seeing an increase in the cost of eggs as a result. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, colloquially known as avian flu or bird flu, is an extremely infectious disease, mostly fatal to poultry, and can rapidly spread within and between domestic poultry flocks and wild bird (especially waterfowl) populations.According to the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), “As a result of recurrent outbreaks, U.S. egg inventories were 29 percent lower in the final week of December 2022 than at the beginning of the year. By the end of December, more than 43 million egg-laying hens were lost to the disease itself or to depopulation since the outbreak began in February 2022.”Regarding egg prices, the USDA said, “Moreover, the latest outbreak wave came at a point when the industry seasonally adjusts the egg-laying flocks to meet the increasing demand for eggs associated with the winter holiday season. Lower-than-usual shell egg inventories near the end of the year, combined with increased demand stemming from the holiday baking season, resulted in several successive weeks of record high egg prices. The average shell-egg price was 267 percent higher during the week leading up to Christmas than at the beginning of the year and 210 percent higher than the same time a year earlier.”On January 18 of this year, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced to the public the intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to examine the potential environmental effects of the Agency’s response activities to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in commercial and backyard poultry operations in the United States.APHIS is requesting public comment to further define the scope of the EIS, identify reasonable alternatives and potential issues, as well as relevant information, studies, and/or analyses that APHIS should consider in the EIS.The USDA is looking for comments by February 17, 2023.You may submit comments by either of the following methods:• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS-2022-0055 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of documents.• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2022-0055, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.Comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and subject to public disclosure. Commenters should not include any information in their comments or supporting materials that they consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at www.regulations.gov or in our reading room, located in room 1620 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.For Further InformationContactFor questions related to the HPAI response activities, contact Ms. Chelsea Bare, Chief of Staff, Veterinary Services, APHIS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Whitten Building Room 318-E, Washington, DC 20250; (515) 337-6128; email: chelsea.j.bare@usda.gov. For questions related to the EIS, contact Ms. Samantha Bates, Environmental Protection Specialist, Environmental and Risk Analysis Services, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 149, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3053; email: Samantha.Bates@usda.gov.

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