[ad_1]
The outbreak has the potential to affect supplies and prices.
COLORADO, USA — The outbreak of bird flu in Colorado has sickened six farmworkers and cost big producers big money to try to eradicate the disease – and consumers are now beginning to feel the effects.
At Heine’s Market, 11801 W. 44th Ave. in Wheat Ridge, owner Heinz Silz pointed to an egg cooler with three bare shelves.
“As you can see, our, our rack is real low,” Silz said. “It’s been hard to get eggs – and for about the last several weeks, at least, we can’t get our jumbo eggs like we want to.”
Silz buys from smaller, cage-free farms.
The five large farms that belong to the Colorado Egg Producers account for 1 billion eggs a year in Colorado. The group has plans in place to bring in eggs from other states, if necessary, to meet its commitments to area grocery stores.
“Even in the worst times of the avian influenza situation that we had here in Colorado a couple of years ago, we were able to maintain a good supply of eggs on the shelves,” said Bill Scebbi, the group’s executive director.
He said he does not expect consumers to see bare shelves, as has happened in the past, but he agreed that prices are likely to rise.
“It would be gradual,” Scebbi said. “It will depend on what the, how the product was shipped, when it was shipped – you know, we can’t crystal ball everything.”
That price increase may be inevitable, not only because suppliers may struggle to keep up with demand, but also because big supplies have spent significant money to try to get rid of the disease. That has included killing 1.8 million chickens in the state – a process known as “culling,” or “de-populating.”
“There’s the process of de-populating and then cleaning the barns and reinspecting the barns, and it’s a long process,” Scebbi said.
At Heine’s Market, the price pinch is already being felt – by Silz. He said he is paying more for his eggs, but he so far has not passed that higher price on to his customers.
“We’re pretty picky with our eggs – who we buy from,” he said. “We buy the good eggs.”
If he does raise prices at some point, he said he believes his loyal customers will pay them.
[ad_2]
Source link
