Egg production According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), egg prices in the United States fell 4% in November as bird flu cases continued to rise across the country.

The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service announced that egg production in November was 8.92 billion, down 4% compared to the same period last year.

Of the 8.92 billion eggs produced, 7.68 billion are table eggs and 1.24 billion are hatched eggs, the main difference being that edible eggs are unfertilized and cannot hatch.

Also, in November there were 376 million eggs, decreasing by 3% compared to last year, and an average of 2374 eggs were produced per 100 layers.

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Test tubes and eggs labeled “bird flu” are seen in this image. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Reuters Images)

The number of layers has fallen further since November, with the USDA reporting a total of 375 million layers on December 1, 2024, down 3% from last year.

The news comes amid rising egg prices, which industry experts say will continue into 2025 if the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as “bird flu,” continues.

Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute sector director Kevin Bergquist said egg prices have risen since 2023 due to a combination of seasonal price increases around the holidays and egg supply disruptions due to bird flu.

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Modern chicken farm for raising white chickens and eggs, multi-level conveyor, indoor, copy area, poultry (iStock / iStock)

According to Bergquist, over the past year prices have “generally” stayed above 2023 prices and even “beat egg prices from 2022, when HPAI really took hold of the egg market.”

Wholesale egg prices, which rose by about 55% in November, do not necessarily reflect consumer eggs. grocery prices, can vary widely.

According to the Consumer Price Index, food prices rose 0.5% in November, with prices increasing at four of six major grocery stores. Eggs showed the biggest increase by a wide margin.

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In the hands of a woman collecting eggs in a supermarket (iStock / iStock)

In November, the prices of meat, poultry and fish increased by 1.7%, and the price of eggs increased by 8.2%.

Before the big bird flu epidemic According to Bergquist, flock numbers in March 2022 were at levels that supported low egg prices. He noted that the wholesale price is less than $1.50 for $10.

However, the outbreak disrupted the market and led to record egg prices in December 2022. As producers rebuild their herds, the average price moderates through 2023.

Bergquist said flock size was again hampered by the re-emergence of avian flu in late 2023 and 2024, leaving egg markets undersupplied.

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Producers have still not been able to rebuild total egg-laying flocks this year with repeated outbreaks.

FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.