Bird flu pushes up prices of eggs, turkey in some areas

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald-AP

DES MOINES (AP) — Prices for eggs and turkey meat are rising in some places as an outbreak of bird flu in the Midwest claims an increasing number of chickens and turkeys. Market experts say grocery stores and wholesalers are trying to stock up on eggs, but there’s no need to worry about having enough turkeys for Thanksgiving.

The cost of a carton of large eggs in the Midwest has jumped nearly 17 percent to $1.39 a dozen from $1.19 since mid-April, when the virus began appearing in Iowa’s chicken flocks and farmers culled their flocks to contain any spread. Tuesday, officials reported that the virus had spread to Nebraska.

A much bigger increase has emerged in the eggs used as ingredients in processed products like cake mix and mayonnaise, which account for the majority of what Iowa produces. Those eggs have jumped 63 percent to $1.03 a dozen from 63 cents in the past three weeks, said Rick Brown, senior vice president of Urner Barry, a commodity market analysis firm.

Omaha-area grocers said they had not yet seen a big increase.

FULL story at link. Also see: CEREAL MAKER POST SAYS BIRD FLU SQUEEZING ITS EGG SUPPLY: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BIRD_FLU_POST_HOLDINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



Read more: http://www.omaha.com/money/bird-flu-pushes-up-prices-of-eggs-turkey-in-some/article_dfa1d7ad-a862-5c76-8b1e-002da827f39c.html

[Sunlei]

1. time to list salmonella as a contaminate and have USDA inspection stop testing whole carcass &

start testing cut parts and ground turkey.


buy a couple female chicks here, even 3 well cared for hens of the production breeds- will supply an entire family with about 900 large delicious eggs a year.

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

[jwirr]

2. We just bought a dozen baby turkeys to raise ourselves and we have chickens. Hopefully we will

also not get the flu.

My daughter told me that one reason for the bird flu is the way they are raised in crowded quarters. I am not sure that is correct. Ours are all free range animals.

[MrsMatt]

3. No one knows how HPAI has been spreading

there is no discernible pattern that can point to a single, or even a couple of reasons for contagion.

Theories are: carried by wild bird migration, carried on the wind, accidental exposure, deliberate exposure, just to name the current speculation.

Just so many unknowns.

[fasttense]

4. If you look at how bird flu spreads

It follows the patterns laid out by highways and roads. You don't tend to get big outbreaks in the most isolated areas even though birds fly and are NOT restricted to roads. Maybe because there are fewer domesticated birds there? But bird flu also kills wild birds and ducks and is carried by them.

Because of this pattern, it is frequently speculated that the bird flu is cause by industrial farming techniques. Only industrial farmers would spread the disease in a pattern associated with highways and roads.

Also healthy birds can fight off disease easier, so free range chickens are less likely to die from the flu.

How can anyone raise healthy happy hens to lay healthy happy eggs for less than $3.00 a dozen? I can't do it for less than $5.00 a dozen and that's estimating only 10 cents of labor a day for each bird. It is impossible to pay those low, low prices for eggs and treat the hens well. Caging them, crowding them, isolating them from the outside, feeding them crap, feeding them growth accelerators and antibiotics is all done to get cheap, cheap eggs. Maybe we should be rethinking our priorities? Do we want cheap, cheap eggs? Or do we want healthy, tasty eggs and less bird flu.

[d_legendary1]

6. If we had a real FDA and USDA

Roids would never have been pumped into our food supply. There's a reason why there are twelve year old girls looking like they are 16 and 18.

[heaven05]

5. well, looks like pork

will be the go to .......... until they get some kind of "flu"....

[awoke_in_2003]

7. Ethanol is driving beef prices up...

the California drought is going to drive produce costs up, now this? It is going to be a tough year.