Summary
Canada has avoided the severe egg shortages and soaring prices seen in the U.S. due to differences in farming practices and regulations.
While avian flu has devastated large American egg farms, Canada’s smaller farms and tightly sealed barns have limited the impact.
The U.S.’s industrialized egg industry, driven by cost efficiency, is vulnerable to supply shocks when outbreaks occur.
Canada’s supply management system ensures stable production and restricts imports, keeping farms smaller. Meanwhile, U.S. consumers face continued egg price surcharges and supply pressures.
But perhaps the biggest difference is that egg farms in Canada are much smaller, so when one farm does suffer a flu outbreak, the effects are less far-reaching. The typical egg farm in Canada has about 25,000 laying hens, whereas many farms in the U.S. have well over a million. In effect, American farmers have put a lot more of their eggs in a relatively small number of baskets.
About what you would expect.
The US has frequent salmonella outbreaks as well, most countries vaccinate the hens but the US poultry industry said that 14 cents per bird would harm profits…
driven by cost efficiency,
It’s not so cost efficient now is it?
Poor safety standards is a short term strategy.Have you seen egg producer profits lately? It’s great for them to have an opportunity to find out exactly how much consumers are willing to pay for their precious eggs. Super cost efficient, for them.
Profits <> cost efficiency.
Obviously those that have eggs good enough to sell, like small producers, make more money. But those that had to put down all their chickens are more likely to go bankrupt.
TL;DR version: Late Stage Capitalism
Eggs are now the most common thing being seized at the Mexican border too atm.
It’s one egg, Michael. How much could it cost? Ten dollars?
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Maybe because Canada isn’t a shithole country?
In the annals of future history, ww3 was started because of eggs.
I wonder if that’s also the reason pasture raised eggs are cheaper and more available than the other types of eggs where I live. I kid you not, the pasture raised eggs are $3-$4 less than the other types. Free range eggs are $2-$3 cheaper. There are also backyard eggs available for even cheaper.
There are actually more free range chickens in the USA than in Canada due to the weather.
Despite the trade war, the U.S. government has one potential solution to help meet demand and keep egg prices from climbing even higher: temporarily increasing egg imports.
I think the world should tacitly embargo the USA for eggs, since Trump doesn’t care to treat any trading partner well.
Can’t, would increase the trade deficit for US and then Trump will rave they’re stealing and laughing at the them and use it to start new bullshit. Watch Trump’s snake parable, he (now U S) is the snake or scorpion. Helping only hurts the one who shows what they will inevitably label as weakness.
That is also the reason why the US has to wash the eggs and chlorinate the chicken.