When Americans across the country go to the grocery store, they find many egg shelves nearly empty or empty.
“Eggs are not available everywhere, and I mean everywhere,” Fox News host Jesse Watters said on “Jesse Watters Prime Time” Wednesday night, Jan. 22. It's so fluffy. ”
Watters said that in New Jersey, “good quality, grass-fed, organic eggs are not available.”
“Donald Trump, before we solve the drone problem, we need eggs,” Watters said. “And we need them right away.”
It's true that eggs are in short supply, and Watters' favorite grass-fed eggs are even harder to find.
Emily Metz, president and CEO of the Chicago-based American Egg Board, said in a statement that “highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as HPAI or avian influenza, has disrupted the national egg supply. “The situation is tight, and this is causing a devastating blow to egg farmers.” Provided to Fox News Digital.
According to its website, the nonprofit organization provides resources for “national category-level egg marketing.”
In the United States alone, more than 40 million laying hens will be lost to avian influenza in 2024, according to Metz.
While the country as a whole is experiencing some level of egg shortage, Metz said the situation is worse in states with laws requiring eggs in grocery stores to be “cage-free.”
Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have all enacted such laws, according to CageFreeLaws.com, which tracks cage-free laws by state. .
“Supply disruptions could become more pronounced.” [among] “Due to HPAI's impact on cage-free farms, retailers and states that only sell cage-free eggs were disproportionately affected late last year,” Metz told FOX News Digital.
About 40% of U.S. egg-laying hens are “cage-free,” she said.
Metz added that more than half of the birds that died from avian influenza were kept cage-free. “It's important to know that avian influenza does not discriminate based on farm size or housing conditions. This disease is transmitted by wild birds,” she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when laying hens test positive for avian influenza, the entire flock is culled to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Once an egg farm is affected by HPAI, it must go through multiple steps with government approval before restocking a new flock, a necessary process that can take six months to a year. '', Metz said, adding that supply issues will become even more acute.
Egg production is “complex and time-sensitive,” she says.
“What we know at this point is that our systems are strained, and HPAI remains a clear risk to poultry flocks,” Metz said.
“The amount of eggs sold in retail stores has increased year-over-year for 22 consecutive months, and we just finished the winter holidays, the highest demand season of the year, and the impact of holiday baking has led to 's sales will increase significantly. And it's interesting,'' Metz said.
Increased demand is also impacting U.S. egg supply.
Despite these challenges, Metz said there are reasons to be hopeful about the future.
“The good news is that egg farmers have a wealth of experience working together to get eggs across the country to where they are needed most. And that's exactly what they're doing right now. ” she said.
“Keeping birds safe and healthy is a top priority for any egg farmer, and they work around the clock to protect birds, replenish supplies and keep producing eggs.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Costco for comment, but customers have recently noticed a shortage of eggs. many local grocery store Across the country, supply is decreasing and prices are rising.
