In April, U.S. retail egg prices experienced a notable drop following record highs earlier this year, as revealed by recent government statistics. According to the Consumer Price Index, the average cost for a dozen Grade A eggs reduced to $5.12, down from a peak of $6.23 in March. This represents the first decline in egg prices from one month to the next since October 2024.
Overall, the price of eggs of various sizes decreased by 12.7%, marking the most significant monthly decline since March 1984. Despite the consistent reduction in wholesale egg prices, it was uncertain to what extent store prices would reflect this decrease in April, particularly given the high consumer demand surrounding Easter and Passover.
However, even with this decline, egg prices remain considerably high due to an ongoing bird flu outbreak that continues to devastate flocks of egg-laying hens. The April average price for a dozen large eggs is still 79% higher than that reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the same period last year, when they averaged $2.86 per dozen.
The bird flu epidemic has resulted in the death of over 169 million birds since the start of 2022. If a bird is diagnosed with the flu, the entire flock must be culled to prevent the virusโs spread. Once this happens, rehabilitating a farm and raising new birds to lay eggs can take up to a year, impacting the overall egg supply, especially for large farms with millions of birds. Recent outbreaks in Ohio and South Dakota affected more than 927,000 hens.
President Donald Trump has made a point of addressing high egg prices. In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1 billion investment to assist farmers in increasing their biosecurity measures to combat bird flu. Additionally, the U.S. has increased its egg imports from countries such as South Korea, Turkey, and Brazil. Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute Sector Manager Kevin Bergquist reported a surge of 77.5% in egg and egg product imports in the first quarter of the year compared to the same timeframe the previous year.
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Justiceโs antitrust division is investigating Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg producer in the country, responsible for around 20% of the nationโs egg supply. Cal-Maine acknowledged the investigation at the start of April. The Ridgeland, Mississippi-based company reported a significant increase in net income, more than tripling to $508.5 million in its latest quarter, which concluded on March 1.