W11: Weekly Poultry & Egg Update
Chicken
US: Cost of Fighting Bird Flu Outbreaks Tops USD 670M (Mar 14)
USDA promotes comprehensive biosecurity measures on the farm as the “best and prudent approach” to combat bird flu outbreaks that have killed 58.6M birds in domestic flocks in 13 months. So far, the USDA has spent more than USD 670M to contain highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and to indemnify owners for their losses, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said. Outlays included more than USD 414M in compensation for “depopulated” birds and eggs, USD 142M to cull flocks and dispose of dead birds and activities to kill the virus, and USD 114M in personnel, state agreements, and field costs. The current outbreak is the worst ever in terms of the number of birds infected by HPAI or culled to prevent its spread. Bird flu spreads quickly and has a high mortality rate, so it's standard procedure for animal health officials to kill all the birds when tests confirm a flock is infected.
US: High Winds Can Worsen Pathogen Spread at Outdoor Chicken Farms (Mar 14)
Farmers who keep their chickens outdoors may want to watch the weather. A study of chicken farms in the West found that high winds increased the prevalence of Campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in the US. Researchers found that about 26% of individual chickens had the pathogen at the "open environment" farms in the study, which included organic and free-range chicken farms. High winds the week prior to sampling and the farms' location in more intensive agricultural settings were linked to a greater prevalence of Campylobacter.
US: Lower Wing Prices Coming in March (Mar 14)
Chicken wings and breast meat retail prices have continued to fall sharply in recent months, which brought some relief to inflation-weary consumers, a report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange stated. The report explained that falling prices are welcome news for food service partners after market volatility and supply shortages during COVID-19. The news also comes as restaurants prepare for more customers to show up for the NCAA basketball tournament starting in W11. Lower wholesale prices for wings and breast meat are creating a strong opportunity for grocers and restaurant chains to feature chicken as an inflation-busting protein for consumers, according to CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. Grocery stores are also expected to leverage the lower prices to promote chicken as they prepare for the 2023 grilling season, especially with US beef production trending toward its lowest level since 2017.
US: USPOULTRY Funds Disease-Centered Research Projects (Mar 15)
The US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) funded four research projects that provide a greater understanding of turkey and broiler diseases. The projects were presented during the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) and were recently made available online. Chongxiao Chen, assistant professor and extension specialist at the University of Georgia Department of Poultry Science, led a study on the “Methods for Preventing Blackhead Disease in Poultry.” Sunil Mor, assistant professor in the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department at South Dakota State University, compared three types of diseases found in turkeys, turkey enteric reovirus (TERV), turkey arthritis reovirus (TARV), and turkey hepatitis reovirus (THRV). Li Zhang, assistant research professor in the Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University, discussed pre-harvest strategies to control Campylobacter in chicken. Nikki Shariat, assistant professor in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia, is working to improve Salmonella surveillance in her study “Profiling Salmonella Serotypes Through Broiler Processing.”
Brazil: Chicken Prices Record Falls (Mar 13)
After a spike in prices in W10, Mar 13 recorded declines for the chicken market, approaching the turn for the second half of March. In São Paulo, according to Scot Consultoria, poultry on the farm remained stable at USD 0.95/kg (R$5.00), while poultry wholesale dropped 0.15%, costing USD 1.26/kg (R$6.62). In the case of live animals, São Paulo had no price reference. In Paraná, the price remained unchanged at USD 0.94/kg (R$4.92), while in Santa Catarina it fell by 10.44%, to USD 0.82/kg (R$4.29). According to information from Cepea/Esalq, referring to Mar 10, the frozen chicken did not change its price, costing USD 1.39/kg (R$ 7.30), while chilled poultry dropped 1.75%, closing at USD 1.39/kg (R$ 7.29).
Already over USD 1.5B, the foreign exchange revenue generated by chicken meat exported by Brazil in the first two months of 2023 surpassed by more than 25% that was registered in the first two months of last year. In 2021 foreign exchange revenue for the same period was just over USD 900M, in two years it registers a variation of around 66%. Last February, a new record was registered for the second month of the year. Encompassing whole chicken, cuts, industrialized chicken, and salted chicken meat, the volume exported was close to 372K MT, increasing by approximately 3.5% over the same period in 2022. Since the average price registered an annual increase of more than 9%, foreign exchange revenue from these shipments increased by 13%, totaling USD 726.3M.
According to information from the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) of the Federal Government, released on Mar 13, exports of poultry meat and its edible offal, fresh, refrigerated, or frozen in the eight working days of March already exceeded 50% of revenues from protein shipments in the same month of 2022. According to the SAFRAS & Mercado analyst, Fernando Henrique Iglesias, Brazil is doing very well in terms of exports. "The great highlight is that Brazil continues without any cases of avian influenza. This puts the country in a privileged perspective in the face of the global market. It is important to maintain this status of an absence of the disease in the country to avoid mismatches in terms of the reaction of the international market ", he said. Iglesias adds that "the sanitary protocol is very strict in Brazil and I think it is unlikely that we will have cases of avian influenza being registered in commercial farms in the country".
Brazil: Broiler Chicks Start 2023 With Production of Less Than 600M Heads (Mar 15)
After two consecutive months of volumes exceeding 600M head, in January 2023 the number of broiler chicks produced in the country was again below that level, falling back to the lowest level in six months. According to APINCO, the year opened with the production of just over 590M broiler chicks, a volume 6.5% higher than that recorded a year earlier, in January 2023. But it fell by more than 5% in relation to the volume of December, when the total produced exceeded 620M heads. It was the monthly record for 2022. With the most recent production, the accumulated total in a space of 12 months slightly exceeds 6.9B head, maintaining almost total stability in relation to the same previous period, as the increment is only 0.15% (10.5M more broiler chicks) compared to what was produced between February 2021 and January 2022.
Brazil: Paraná Leads National Chicken Production in 2022 (Mar 16)
Data from the Agricultural Production Statistics released on Mar 15 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) confirm the sector's growth trend in Paraná. In 2022, the State recorded a significant increase in the slaughter of chickens, a segment in which it is the undisputed leader among the states, in addition to occupying the vice-leadership in the production of pork, milk, and eggs and having expanded the production of leather. With 2.04B chicken heads slaughtered in 2022, Paraná accounts for a 33.5% share of national production in the segment, well above Rio Grande do Sul (13.4%) and Santa Catarina (13.1%), which occupy the second and third position in the country's production. The IBGE data point to a growth of 41.42M chicken heads in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Brazil: Chicken Sustained Prices or With Timid Falls Mark (Mar 17)
Prices for the chicken market Mar 17 were practically stable. According to an analysis by Cepea/Esalq, the high prices of chicken meat registered at the beginning of March, although timid, sustained the partial average of the month. The agency's researcher, Juliana Ferraz, explains that, even with the recovery trend in prices, the internal market for chicken has been having difficulties in advancing, with a kind of "bottleneck" to pass on increases to the consumer end. In São Paulo, according to Scot Consultoria, poultry on the farm remained stable at USD 0.95/kg (R$5.00), while chicken wholesale fell by 0.45%, costing USD 1.25/kg (R$6.57). In the case of live animals, São Paulo had no price reference. In Santa Catarina, the price did not change, at USD 0.82/kg (R$ 4.29), while in Paraná, there was a decrease of 0.61%, falling to USD 0.93 (R$ 4.89).
Turkey: Chicken Meat Production Decreased in January (Mar 14)
Turkish Statistical Institute announced the poultry production statistics for January. Accordingly, 191.81K MT of chicken meat was produced in January. Production decreased by 3.8% compared to the same month of the previous year and 4.6% on a monthly basis. While chicken egg production decreased by 1.1% on a monthly basis in January, it increased by 3.3% compared to the same month of the previous year. During this period, 1.727B chicken eggs were produced. The number of chickens slaughtered in January decreased by 6% annually and was recorded as 104.49M units. Turkey's meat production decreased by 16.2% in the same period and the production amount was 3.64K MT. On the other hand, due to the inability to obtain reliable data and information from the regions affected by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, temporary applications were made in the statistical production processes.
Turkey: Does Bird Flu Infect Humans? (Mar 17)
The bird flu epidemic, which affected the world last year, also started in Turkey. In March, approximately 1.5M laying hens were culled in Denizli and 5M in Afyonkarahisar. It is stated that the regions are under quarantine and are being followed. Afyonkarahisar is the province with the highest number of laying hens with 16.8M MT. The fact that a significant part of the animal wealth in the city was culled was reflected in a hike in egg prices. The price of eggs, which was USD 0.092- 0.11 (1.75-2 lira) in the markets in January, rose to USD 0.16 (3 liras) in mid-March. On the other hand, producers whose chickens are culled are waiting for a decision on the compensation they will receive. Vatan Party Bolu Provincial Vice President Veterinarian Hakan Minister stated that there is no possibility of bird flu being transmitted from chicken meat and eggs to humans.
Thailand: Broiler Price Stable in W11 (Mar 17)
Suggested prices for live broilers at the farm front from the Broiler Farmers Association. is 1.17/kg (40 baht) while broiler chicks are priced at USD 0.34 (11.50 baht) each and layer chicks are priced at USD 0.82 (28.00 baht) each.
The South African poultry sector has seen a 15% increase in its slaughtering capacity. Over the last three years, an estimated 3M more broilers have been slaughtered per month. This represents 22.5M broilers slaughtered monthly over the same period, despite local and global challenges. The Poultry Industry in South Africa is now estimated to have grown from USD 3.09B to USD3.25 over the same period.
The price of chicken in Arequipa again registered an increase of approximately USD 0.11 (S/0.40). On March 15, the bird was quoted between USD 3.14 (S/ 11.90) and USD 3.17 (S/ 12) in the different markets of the Andrés Avelino Cáceres platform, located in the José Luis Bustamante y Rivero district. This situation worries both sellers and buyers, according to the representative of the Nueva Esperanza market, Jhazmani Callo. The leader said that faced with this situation, on Mar 20 the chicken vendors of the entire Andrés Avelino Cáceres platform will have a meeting. One of the points is to seek a rapprochement with the representatives of the San Fernando and Rico Pollo poultry companies to obtain an accurate explanation for the progressive increase in the price of the bird. According to Callo, at one point the distributors indicated that the shortage of poultry feed (Bolivian soy) was a cause of the price increase; however, in recent days they also referred to bird flu.
Netherlands: Bird Flu Vaccine Trial Successful (Mar 17)
As a result of studies carried out by the Wageningen University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in the Netherlands, two vaccines were proven to be successful in protecting chickens against avian influenza. It was stated that the vaccines are effective not only against the symptoms of the disease but also against the spread of the virus. According to the information given by Dutch Agriculture Minister Piet Adema, Wageningen University experts tried four different vaccines against bird flu on chickens. Each vaccine was administered to 10 chickens. It was determined that the chickens in which two of the four vaccines were made did not get sick and the epidemic was published. Accelerating laboratory studies, experts decided to use two successful vaccines in chicken farms.
Vietnam: Supply Increased Sharply, Prices of Feathered Chickens Sank to the Bottom (Mar 14)
In February, the price of short-term colored broiler chickens decreased by USD 0.34/kg (8K VND) to USD 1.40- 1.44/kg (33K–34K VND). The reason for the sharp drop in prices is that at the end of the festive season, consumption at restaurants and bars decreased while the supply was high. The price of industrial chicken in the South was USD 0.98/kg (23K VND), in the North increased by USD 0.042/kg (1K VND) to USD 1.27/kg (30K VND) while in the Central region decreased by USD 0.13/kg (3K VND) to USD 0.98/kg (23K VND). At this price, the chicken breeder suffers quite a heavy loss.
Indonesia: Chicken Meat Prices Rise, Farmers Even Cry (Mar 13)
The price of purebred chicken and eggs has been observed to be moving up. On Mar 13, the Food Agency's Price Panel shows that the price of purebred chicken has increased by USD 0.031 (IDR 470) to USD 2.20/kg (IDR 33.74K) while the price of purebred chicken eggs rose by USD 0.016 (IDR 240) to USD 1.82/kg (IDR 27.94K). However, even though prices are rising, independent breeders actually admit that they are at their lowest point. In fact, during the demonstration in front of Komnas HAM's office in the afternoon, many breeders 'shouted' that many are currently in debt, to the point where they have to make surprising life decisions. A week ago, on Mar 6, the price of purebred chicken was still perched at USD 2.16/kg (IDR 33.19K), and eggs for purebred chicken at USD 1.79/kg (IDR 27.46K).
Japan: 84K Chickens to Be Slaughtered in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture Due to Bird Flu Outbreak (Mar 16)
In the Japanese prefecture of Iwate, the destruction of 84K chickens has begun due to an outbreak of bird disease. “A bird flu virus has been confirmed at a farm in Iwate Prefecture. An investigation was carried out due to the increase in bird deaths. Tests showed a positive reaction to bird flu. Genetic analysis confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic strain. This is the 80th case this season. 84K chickens will be destroyed,” the agricultural department informed. According to the ministry, after the detection of the bird flu virus, a quarantine is introduced for the transportation of chickens and eggs within a radius of 3 kilometers around the farm where foci of the disease were detected, and the export of chickens and eggs outside the 10-kilometer zone is also prohibited.
Argentina: Concern for Avian Influenza (Mar 17)
40K poultry had to be slaughtered in Chile due to the detection of the first case of Avian Influenza in an industrial setting. Although the government of Chile insisted that it was a "limited" event, the numbers are shocking and generate fear for the possibility of outbreaks of this magnitude occurring in the country. Although the core poultry zone of Argentina still remains unscathed, here there have already been cases in peripheral commercial farms and the numbers of slaughtered birds were also impressive. Bichos de Campo spoke with Javier Prida, president of the Argentine Chamber of Poultry Producers (CAPIA), to talk about the egg-producing sector that is sustained by no less than 51.5M laying hens, distributed in 1K establishments throughout the country.
Tridge Analysis: Chicken Meat and Egg Prices Rise as Taiwan’s Poultry Deficit Grows (Mar 13)
Chicken meat prices in Taiwan have climbed to match a 3-year high as a result of a poultry deficit derived from cold weather, avian flu supply disruptions, and high input costs. The implication of this is that Taiwan will increase its imports of chickens and eggs as well as diversify its import origins to satisfy domestic demand. During the first week of March 2023, breeding chicken wholesale prices in Taiwan averaged USD 1.96/kg (TWD 59.67), which represents an increase of 0.2% MoM and 11% YoY. This also represents the highest monthly average since July 2022, and, along with that month’s level, also the highest in at least three years. (Continue Reading)
Duck
Egypt: Duck Prices Jump by at Least 65% in 2023 (Mar 19)
Abdel Aziz Al-Sayed, head of the poultry division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, said that the prices of ducks witnessed significant increases this season, as the price per kilo ranged between USD 3.46 and USD 3.72 (107 and 115 pounds) for different types, compared to USD 2.10 (65 pounds) last year, an increase between 65 and 80%. Al-Sayed attributed, to Masrawy, the large increase in duck prices this year, to the large increase in feed prices, as well as the lack of supply of ducks after the decline in Egypt's imports of French "Mueller" ducks. The varieties of ducks found in Egypt vary between Baladi, Muscovy, Pekingese, and Muller, according to Al-Sayed. The prices of fodder raw materials jumped due to the lack of supply in the market during the current period, according to the head of the division.
Egg
UK: How Free-Range Eggs Became the Norm in Supermarkets (Mar 14)
Free-range eggs are perceived as safer by consumers and an easier ethical choice. Supermarkets offer an abundance of free-range products and there is no great difference in price compared with eggs from caged hens. However, free-range egg farms differ from the advertised scenes of chickens roaming free in open fields. In fact, free-range flocks can reach up to 16K hens in a shed, with daytime access to the outside provided by holes in the perimeter. Beaks are trimmed to prevent the fighting that arises as a result of stress in this unnatural environment. More expensive organic eggs, produced by much smaller flocks on farms where beak trimming is banned, are a minority of those eaten in the UK.
Brazil: Brazilian Egg Production Broke Record in 2022 (Mar 16)
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in 2022, the production of chicken eggs reached a historic record of 4.06B dozens, representing an increase of 1.2% compared to the previous year. This increase was driven by the general rise in inflation in the animal protein sector, which led to increased consumption of eggs as a more accessible source compared to meat. However, high production costs and low margins for producers, which had already been affecting the production chain since 2020, persisted throughout 2022.
Turkey: Bird Flu Caused the Price of Eggs to Double in W10 (Mar 17)
When bird flu spread to Turkey, 1.5M laying hens were culled in Denizli, the center of egg production, and approximately 5M laying hens in the Afyonkarahisar region, causing egg prices to double. Egg prices, which were USD 0.092–0.11 per egg in January, increased by the middle of March and rose to USD 0.16-0.25 per egg.
Thailand: Preparing to Export Chicken Eggs to Taiwan, Starting With the First Lot in March (Mar 15)
The Director-General of the Department of Livestock Development revealed good news after successfully negotiating with Taiwan Able to open the export market for fresh chicken eggs. In March 2023, about 5-8M eggs will be exported and there will be more export trends. There was an emphasis that many countries are confident in Thai production standards, quality, and food safety. It had a positive effect on maintaining a balance between production and consumption and creating stability in prices that farmers can sell.
Thailand: Chicken Egg Price Increases (Mar 17)
The cooperative network of laying hens notified the recommended price increase. Mixed chicken eggs in front of the farm from USD 0.093/egg (3.20 baht) to USD 0.099/egg (3.40 baht), which is in line with the market mechanism that demands more chicken eggs.
Japan: Record Culling Due to Avian Flu in Japan Caused an Increase in Egg Prices (Mar 18)
Egg prices are skyrocketing in Japan as a record 16M poultry were culled during the avian flu season. It was reported that the current avian flu outbreak has spread like never before since October last year, with at least 80 cases reported in poultry farms in 26 of the nation's 47 provinces. Local egg sellers said the wholesale price of medium-sized eggs as of March 2 was USD 2.5/kg (335 yen) in Tokyo, the highest price since the first data began to be collected in 1993. According to the information given by the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 90% of the poultry in the culling process are laying hens, which reduces the egg supply and causes prices to rise. The report stated that concerns about egg shortages are increasing and more and more restaurants are choosing to suspend serving dishes made using eggs. It was also stated in the news that it is expected to take at least six months for access to eggs to be restored
Taiwan: Egg Wholesalers Decry the Price Freeze and Threaten to Close Market (Mar 19)
A group of wholesale egg suppliers in Taipei is threatening to stop sales "indefinitely" if Taiwan's Poultry Association (TPA) extends the current price freeze in W12, amid a domestic shortage. A decision made on Mar 18 by a TPA production and marketing supervision committee to freeze the wholesale price of domestically produced chicken eggs in W11 is not sustainable and will hurt egg farmers and suppliers, the group said without elaborating. Currently, the wholesale price of eggs in Taiwan is USD 1.79 (NT$55) per catty (600 grams), while the farm gate price is USD 1.49 (NT$45.5) per catty, the highest in many years, amid an egg shortage in the country that has been caused by avian flu epidemics, increased feed costs, and a high number of molting hens, according to government officials.
