Historic bird flu outbreak puts hurting on price of eggs

• 40.7 million chickens or turkeys have either died or had to be euthanized due to a recent avian influenza outbreak%2C according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
• Entire flocks have to be destroyed in an effort to stop its spread.
• Of the chickens destroyed%2C more than 34.2 million have been layers%2C and more than 122%2C000 have been broilers%2C or chickens raised for meat%2C USDA figures show.

PRATTVILLE – Susan Walters has noticed egg prices going up during her weekly visits to the grocery store.

The Prattville mother of two was recently shopping in the city's Publix.

"I really started noticing the prices going up about two weeks ago," she said. "With two teenage boys, and me being a baker, we use a lot of eggs. I've been making cookies and baking cakes for graduation presents and parties, so I've really noticed the prices going up."

The reason for the spike in prices is what the U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling the worst outbreak of avian influenza in the country's history. Although the disease has not hit Alabama's poultry industry, it has devastated poultry in much of the nation, becoming widespread in early April.

The numbers are staggering. Through the week ending May 23, the most recent figures available at deadline, more than 40.7 million chickens or turkeys have either died or had to be euthanized due to the outbreak, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Once the disease is confirmed at a farm or processing facility, entire flocks have to be destroyed in an effort to stop its spread. And it's the egg laying industry that has been hit the hardest. Of the chickens destroyed, more than 34.2 million have been layers, and more than 122,000 have been broilers, or chickens raised for meat. The total also includes more than 6.1 million turkeys, USDA figures show.

At the end of April, prices for shell eggs were running on average about $1.24 per dozen nationally, according to the Daily Livestock Report, a report sponsored by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group and used by the poultry industry. For the week ending May 23, the average price was $2.40 per dozen, a 93 percent increase over a month ago, the report reads. For liquid eggs, the average price was 70 cents per pound at the end of April, compared to $1.78 per pound for the week ending May 23. That's a 158 percent increase.

Things are better when you look at turkey prices, said Keith Williams, a spokesman for the National Turkey Federation. Nationwide, about 3 percent of turkeys have been lost to avian influenza, he said.

"While that national number out of the 240 million projected turkey population is low, it's significant to impact the individual farmers and the companies they grow for," he said "However, nationally that 3 percent loss, according to economists and market watchers, is not affecting prices for the portions of turkey sold."

Alabama poultry producers track avian flu outbreak

Some Good News

Chalk one up for the hot Alabama summer, as the mercury climbs the chances of avian influenza spreading declines. Alabama's poultry industry has escaped the scourge so far, Dr. Tony Frazier, state veterinarian, said Thursday.

This strain of avian influenza, H5N2, is especially virulent, he said. It is spread by wild, migratory waterfowl. Domestic poultry are exposed to the disease when they come into contact with the infected feces of the wild birds, he said.

When the temperatures reach 65 degrees, the virus activity is slowed significantly, he said. Once the mercury hits 85 degrees, the virus can't live outside, he said.

"The important thing to remember is the poultry products you buy in the stores and consume are completely safe," Frazier said. "The poultry industry has an extensive testing program. None of these chickens or turkeys that have died or were euthanized ever entered the food chain."

The chances of avian influenza infecting humans is slight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

Agriculture is the state's largest industry, and poultry leads all agricultural products, data from the Alabama Farmers Federation shows. On average, the poultry industry creates a $15 billion yearly economic impact in Alabama, and supports more than 86,000 jobs, according to the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association.

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The USDA expects this outbreak of avian influenza to end in early July as warmer temperatures spread to the northern and Midwestern states hit hardest by the virus.

So, can the virus turn hot again in the fall, as migratory birds head south once again?

It's a possibility, Frazier said.

"We have never dealt with an outbreak like this, not of this magnitude," he said.

Several state agencies and industry groups have joined forces to prevent avian influenza from appearing in Alabama.

"We are using this time to stress to our producers the importance of bio security at their farms or production facilities," Frazier said. "We have developed plans as to how we would react if avian influenza was confirmed in the state. We hope that never happens, but we have to be prepared."