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jaweit t1_j52jenx wrote

25% inflation, 75% bird flu causing an egg shortage in North America.

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tacoloco2323 t1_j52t1k5 wrote

This is not the case. Bird flu did have an impact on the amount of eggs available. The largest egg producer in the US posted an increase in profits of 68%. Its an increase of profits, not inflation. It’s corporate greed using the mask of the bird flu.

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Miriam_W t1_j541g0t wrote

No. There is a serious avian flu and they have to destroy thousands if not millions of chickens and it's not easy burying them. Check with the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-flu-summary.htm

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eljefino t1_j52xnrd wrote

Well if there's a shortage then yes the profits will be higher. Basic economics. I anticipate these egg farmers are trying like hell to get more chickens of laying age up and running while prices are still high.

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Fluffheady t1_j53buyn wrote

How does this make any sense? You can't just say "basic economics" and walk away.

There is a shortage. If prices increase to a "reasonable" level, profits remain the same even if prices increase. There are less eggs to be sold, so you increase prices to compensate for lower overall sales / lower supply. If you increase profits beyond a pre-shortage level, that means you are jacking up prices well beyond what they would actually need to be to "weather the storm" of bird flu.

It's because of corporate greed and oligopolistic practices.

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tacoloco2323 t1_j53fnuv wrote

Thank Fluffyheady, your exactly right. The increase in price due to the shortage was factually measured to equal less than a 25 cent increase not more than double.

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IBOstro t1_j52jypn wrote

Well that scans. Thanks I was definitely out of the loop.

Hannaford today felt like March 2020 with everyone freaking out about the impending storm.

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alligator124 t1_j53keef wrote

Holy shit I went for a regular grocery run this evening, wasn't even thinking of the storm. It was like the zombie apocalypse in there. I was not prepared.

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DidDunMegasploded t1_j52zlkr wrote

TBF...we're getting two storms in near-rapid succession, and the southern part of Maine specifically is getting the short end of the stick for both, so I can kinda understand the freakout.

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Soccermom233 t1_j53e0ft wrote

Yeah I picked the wrong day to think it was a boring Thursday

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undertow521 t1_j54sanf wrote

I was too so I had to Google it last week. Guess thats the downside of not watching the news!

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respaaaaaj t1_j52t061 wrote

It's not even 25% inflation, last I saw something like 53 million hens have died or been culled, the last time we had a outbreak like this it was more like 50 million by the time it was under control which it isn't yet.

I looked again and it's up to 58 million

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badhmorrigan t1_j53x6jz wrote

Tens of millions dead chickens. Chicken has been a cheap and filling protein, not anymore.

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Mainah68 t1_j56sk8l wrote

I believe there have been some pretty big fires too. Additionally, the price of grain has gone way up.

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ppitm t1_j551oxt wrote

We don't eat egg chickens

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badhmorrigan t1_j55e9yo wrote

It's not like layers are the only chickens who are affected by the avian flu.

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ppitm t1_j55eswn wrote

But chicken meat prices have actually declined since September

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Ancient-Access8131 t1_j57izk3 wrote

Thats because it takes about 20 weeks for chicks to be raised into hens to start laying eggs, while it only takes 5-8 weeks for chicks to get old enough to be slaughtered.

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ppitm t1_j57t2je wrote

No, meat chickens are a totally different species from laying chickens. About as different as chihuahuas and dobermans. They're mutants, really. Congenitally obese and die of heart attacks if you don't eat them.

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Ancient-Access8131 t1_j57tgyg wrote

They arent different species, but different breeds. Same with dogs, all domesticated dogs are the same species. But my point was mainly that laying hens take much longer to raise than, meat chickens.

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MaineviaIllinois t1_j52vjt7 wrote

Well let’s be real here- 25% inflation- 75% profit taking using bird flu and inflation as cover. The bird flu doesn’t increase the cost of production since they are insured against losses.

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doobie042 t1_j54opvc wrote

Places do not have insurance for that kind of loss. Nor the loss of income from losing their entire flock and having to start all over from scratch. It costs quite a bit to get millions of chickens and wait the 4-6 months before they start laying.

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MaineviaIllinois t1_j54wptr wrote

I must have missed the part where eggs were anywhere near this price when we culled about 87% of the birds we have so far during prior outbreaks. Any reason they didn’t escalate nearly to the level?

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doobie042 t1_j54yahs wrote

Diesel prices are way higher than before. Transportation is a big cost. Feed prices are up from before. 15 years ago you could get a50lbs bag of feed for under $10. 2.5 years ago they were $15. Now they are 22.

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MaineviaIllinois t1_j55868a wrote

I just checked- chicken feed is still $13 a 40lb bag at Tractor Supply. Last I got was $24 for organic layer pellets which are now $27. In fact you can tell how little prices have actually gone up by checking out your local farm stand. Have they gone up? Sure- have they tripled? Not at all.

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Dbgb4 t1_j54uu90 wrote

Actually, it will increase the cost of production.

Say you make and sell widgets. The fixed costs of the mortgage, property taxes, electricity, fuel, and the like will not change if you produce 1000 widgets or 500.

Therefore, you have to raise prices to cover the fixed expense you pay per month and therefore the cost per each rises.

The bank and city governments are not cutting the chicken farmers a break because they have 25,000,000 less birds. They expect their bills to be paid each month.

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JDTexas84 t1_j52rfce wrote

Except it wasn’t even actually bird flu. Farmers were instructed to cull their bird flocks on the fear that bird flu might spread. It’s a manufactured inflation

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respaaaaaj t1_j52teag wrote

There are not only dead chickens from this, but dead ducks and Montana just found grizzly bears that have it, this is a public health thing not an economic thing

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runner64 t1_j52wqdt wrote

Also one twitter-famous emu.

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respaaaaaj t1_j52x1sw wrote

Yeah this one is spreading almost entirely by wild birds instead of flock to flock so there's a real risk of it jumping all over the place

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diaryofsnow t1_j52xsgh wrote

the one that sells car insurance?

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IBOstro t1_j53058r wrote

Ah yes the LiMu emu. I will never buy insurance from them specifically because of their advertising.

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wiggywithit t1_j52zqad wrote

The flu, yes that flu, the one that killed 300 million people in early 20th century was a bird flu that mutated and spread to humans.

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