Egg prices in Japan set to jump after record culling of 10 million birds

Spread of avian flu has already driven up egg costs around the world in recent months Japan has culled nearly 10 million birds as it grapples with a massive outbreak of bird flu, which threatens to put even more pressure on poultry supplies and drive up egg prices. In a statement on Tuesday (10), the Ministry of Agriculture of the Asian country said that 9.98 million animals were killed this season, surpassing the previous record of 9.87 million that were slaughtered in the 2020 fiscal year, during a previous bout of avian flu. The latest slaughter included mainly chickens, as well as a small number of ducks and ostriches, a ministry official told CNN this Wednesday (11). The National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, known as Zen-Noh, gave a higher tally, saying that approximately 10.9 million birds were killed on Tuesday night. “The supply of chicken eggs is expected to decrease due to the recent outbreak,” Zen-Noh, who is part of a national agricultural ...