Prices of turkey meat fall in the US as Thanksgiving approaches

WASHINGTON — The cost of purchasing a turkey could be lower this Thanksgiving, thanks to a drop in avian influenza cases and a recovery of the turkey population in the United States. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed turkey and egg prices in the latest Market Intel report, which states the average price for an 8- to 16-pound turkey typically served for Thanksgiving was $1.27 per pound in August, 22% lower than the same time last year. “The status of (highly pathogenic avian influenza) is much different now than it was just a year ago,” the Market Intel said. “Migratory birds are a major vector of this virus, which naturally makes spring and fall migration high risk times. “Detections from the current outbreak peaked during March 2022 with 20.96 million birds affected before gradually falling to just 540 birds in September 2023. This can be compared to 8.15 million birds affected in September 2022. June marked the first month with no detections since the outbreak ...