Record-breaking egg profits prompt accusation of price gouging

[ck4829]

A farmer-advocacy organization says record-breaking increases in the price of eggs isn’t being caused by inflation or avian flu, as claimed by egg companies, but by price collusion among the nation’s top egg producers.

In a letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week, the organization Farm Action accused the country’s dominant egg producers of scheming to raise prices.

“The real culprit behind this 138% hike in the price of a carton of eggs appears to be a collusive scheme among industry leaders to turn inflationary conditions and an avian flu outbreak into an opportunity to extract egregious profits reaching as high as 40%,” read the Farm Action letter to the FTC.

The avian flu outbreak in 2015 was deadlier but did not produce price spikes as high as those seen in 2022. The 2015 outbreak killed about 12% of the egg-laying hens in the U.S. Most of the 50 million birds that died were egg-laying hens and turkeys, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/record-breaking-egg-profits-prompt-accusation-of-price-gouging

[Alexander Of Assyria]

1. Extracting resources from animals isn't meant to stabilize prices. It's for profits only!

Unless there is a well regulated farm marketing board that stabilizes prices and provides reasonable returns to the real egg producers, the chickens, like in Canada.

Blasting the egg producers is blasting the entire economic system of America! And what say the chickens?

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. Greed, greed and more greed.

It's the American way.

[Walleye]

3. Republicans don't want "burdensome regulations"

Of course we call it consumer protection laws

[Historic NY]

4. Egg wars....even they jumped on the band wagon

Just last month my grocer had a $3 off on Land of lakes any size dozen, this month it's 50 cents and no Land of Lakes on the shelves, suddenly it's all Egglands Best free-range organic. It sure seems suspicious....

Mostly it seems the small family producer that's getting whacked, by the avian flu restrictions. Free-range outdoor places have longer quarantine time than the big indoor factory farms. They have 120 day hold.

Outdoor spread of the virus is greater, since unpredictable visits from interested other birds can bring it in to the flock.




[link:https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/21/bird-flu-free-range-eggs-uk|]