US retail egg prices fell in April for the first time in months – though a dozen still costs way more than it did a year ago.
The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs plunged 12.7% in April to $5.12, according to the Consumer Price Index.
That’s the first monthly decline in egg prices since October 2024.
But consumer egg prices are still 79% higher than they were last April, when a dozen sold for just $2.86, as flocks across the nation continue to recover from the worst bird flu outbreak in US history.
When the avian flu infects a bird, whether on a poultry farm or in a backyard coop, it spreads at such a rapid pace that producers are forced to cull the entire flock.
It’s killed more than 169 million birds since early 2022, pushing the retail price of eggs to a record-high of $6.23 in March.
At least 10 bird flu outbreaks have been reported over the past month, including two massive ones in South Dakota and Ohio, hitting flocks of 633,900 and 293,300, respectively, according to the Centers for Disease and Control.
But outbreaks appear to be slowing over the past few weeks, helping egg prices to come down slightly.
The 90-day pause on most of President Trump’s tariffs, which took effect last month, has also likely aided the price cooldown, since a significant amount of bird feed, cages and farm equipment are imported from countries like Russia and Ukraine, according to food science consultant Bryan Quoc Le.
The White House on Monday announced it had reached a similar deal with China to pause higher rates for 90 days.
Meanwhile, major egg producers are facing increased scrutiny from the Department of Justice, which is investigating whether companies colluded to restrict supply and keep prices artificially high, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“There’s only so many egg manufacturers and there’s a bit of a pseudo-monopoly,” Le told The Post.
“I certainly do think all these players are considering – if someone’s going to keep the prices up, we should probably all keep the prices up.”
