Avian flu threatens egg supply
Sen. Tammy Baldwin warned that an avian flu outbreak has affected more than 4.3 million birds in Wisconsin and led to over 80 layoffs, which matters because large outbreaks can quickly reduce supply and push retail egg prices higher. Her call for federal action highlights how policy response could determine whether price spikes are temporary or prolonged. (wispolitics.com)
Wisconsin lost more than 4.3 million egg-laying hens in three outbreaks between late February and March, and Senator Tammy Baldwin said two farms have already temporarily laid off more than 80 workers. (baldwin.senate.gov) That is enough birds to shake grocery shelves because an egg farm cannot replace a laying flock the way a store restocks milk. The United States Department of Agriculture requires an infected flock to be killed and the barns cleaned before new birds can come in. (congress.gov) The virus behind this is the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has been hitting United States poultry flocks since February 2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is also circulating in wild birds worldwide and in United States dairy cattle. (cdc.gov) For people buying breakfast, the key link is simple: fewer hens means fewer eggs. A July 2025 Congressional Research Service report said egg-laying hens accounted for 75% of domestic poultry losses and that lower supply can push retail prices higher. (congress.gov) Americans saw that math last year when the national average retail egg price hit a record $6.23 per dozen in March 2025. Baldwin said Wisconsin’s new outbreaks could recreate the same kind of spike if the federal response lags. (congress.gov) (baldwin.senate.gov) Prices had actually been moving the other way before this Wisconsin wave. Agri-Pulse reported on April 8 that the average price of a dozen large Grade A eggs fell to $2.50 in February 2026 from $5.90 a year earlier as national outbreaks slowed. (agri-pulse.com) That drop happened because the national flock was recovering. Agri-Pulse said egg production in February 2026 rose 5% from a year earlier, but it also said about 5 million birds were still affected in the prior 30 days, which means the market is calmer, not safe. (agri-pulse.com) Baldwin is pushing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to speed up a national avian influenza vaccination strategy that the United States Department of Agriculture outlined in February 2025. She also pointed to federal support for labs and outbreak response, because the faster farms detect and contain infections, the fewer hens are lost. (baldwin.senate.gov) (congress.gov) The public health picture is different from the grocery picture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on March 6, 2026 that the current risk to the general public is low and that there is no known person-to-person spread, but poultry workers still face direct exposure on infected farms. (cdc.gov) So the Wisconsin story is not just about one state’s farms. It is about how a virus that kills hens in one county can ripple through payrolls, farm policy, and the price of a dozen eggs nationwide within a few weeks. (baldwin.senate.gov) (congress.gov)
