Bloomberg Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the biggest egg producer in the US, said bird flu still has an “extremely strong” presence, having last year decimated US poultry flocks and sent egg prices soaring to records.
Nearly 500 outbreaks in poultry were reported across 26 countries in October and November last year, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health. The figures show a “huge global presence,” Chief Executive Officer Sherman Miller said on a call with analysts on Wednesday.
“It’s very difficult to estimate the magnitude, but all the indicators of the problem are still there,” Miller said. “We’re still on pins and needles watching this virus.”
US consumer egg prices hit all-time highs last year as affected poultry flocks were culled to prevent the disease’s spread. The current outbreak that began in 2022 has affected more than 185 million birds in the US, including those in over 900 commercial operations, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The virus has been detected in 102 commercial poultry flocks since last October.