Bird flu, weather and inflation conspire to keep egg prices near historic highs for Easter

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world as Easter and Passover approach. The cost of filling a basket or completing a Seder plate reflect a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated. A senior global specialist with Dutch financial services firm Rabobank doesn’t expect them to return to 2021 levels. One major culprit is avian flu. In 2022 alone, more than 131 million poultry worldwide died or were culled on farms affected by the disease. Higher chicken feed costs due to weather and inflation have also impacted egg prices.