Highly contagious bird flu, which has been found in 23 states in flocks of nearly 17 million birds, is also putting pressure on egg prices.
A deadly strain of bird flu was discovered on Wednesday in five new US states. Egg prices have been raised Before Easter and the virus Increasingly threatens US poultry exports.
The highly pathogenic bird flu has been detected on a commercial poultry farm in Johnston County, North Carolina, and in backyard flocks in Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming, the USDA said. Since mid-January, it has been found in 23 states in flocks of nearly 17 million birds.
Countries have temporarily banned imports from US states where bird flu is common as a result, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Main Buyers like Mexico, China and Cuba They can import less poultry after the discovery in North Carolina, a major producer of chicken and turkey, said Jim Sumner, president of the American Poultry and Egg Export Council in Tucker, Georgia.
It will also cause bird flu Eggs are relatively rare Over the Easter weekend, with production still below levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report from agricultural lender CoBank.
