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Egg industry on high alert after Iowa outbreak

The discovery of bird flu in a large Iowa egg laying facility has that industry on high alert.

The farm in Osceola County in northwest Iowa has a capacity of 5.3 million hens, which represents nearly 10 percent of Iowa’s egg-laying hens and one percent of the nation’s egg layers. While those numbers are significant, poultry industry consultant Simon Shane doesn’t foresee much impact on egg prices at this point.

“It probably won’t move the needle given that this farm is committed to egg liquids, which find their way into the commercial markets, food service and industry,” Shane says. “However if you displace one percent of the nation’s production, there must be some effect somewhere.”

But Shane says if the virus continues to spread to other large egg operations in Iowa or elsewhere, in his words, “all bets are off”.

“Remember that Iowa has approximately 52 million hens,” he says. “It’s possible that if other units are infected—they may be incubating as we speak now, they may be free of infection—we’ll just have to wait and see what will happen over the next few days.”

Shane says if 20 to 30 million hens were to be infected, consumers could start seeing prices rise.

Shane also teaches poultry science and veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University.

AUDIO: Simon Shane