U.S. egg manufacturer knowledge gathered in 2022 estimated that processing, cartoning and transportation (PCT) prices for eggs sourced inline averaged roughly US$0.56 in keeping with dozen, in comparison to US$0.47 in keeping with dozen in 2021, in keeping with a learn about revealed by way of analysis staff The Egg Trade Heart (EIC) at Iowa State College.
Maro Ibarburu, EIC Affiliate Scientist and Industry Analyst, mentioned the worth building up is basically a results of the alternate in grade yield loss in 2022.
The learn about, which concerned 18 responses and represented roughly 124 million laying hens within the U.S., defines grade yield loss because the sum of the losses for all eggs won which are of decrease price, similar to smaller sizes or undergrades, and the acquire for the eggs won which are of upper price, similar to better measurement eggs.
In line with the EIC, the grade yield loss building up used to be most commonly because of variations within the price of enormous eggs in comparison to smaller-sized eggs. In comparison to 2021’s PCT learn about, 2022 noticed a 75% building up in estimated grade yield loss, which used to be pushed by way of larger reductions within the costs of medium or small eggs with appreciate to very large eggs.
Moreover, the learn about defined that the grade yield loss price is delicate not to handiest worth adjustments, however the proportions of eggs of various sizes and categories bought.
The egg provide scarcity, and next worth building up, brought about by way of the U.S.’s 2022 outbreak of extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is basically liable for the massive shift in grade yield loss between 2021 and 2022.
“This building up in estimated grade yield loss used to be the end result of exceptionally massive worth variations between the cost of massive eggs and the smaller sizes,” said Ibarburu. “For instance, in 2022 the bargain for medium-sized eggs used to be 57 cents in keeping with dozen when in 2021 that bargain used to be 28 cents.”