Jan 19 (Reuters) – The Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) ought to study excessive egg costs for indicators of worth gouging from prime egg firms, a farm group stated, as Individuals proceed to pay greater than ever for the family staple.
U.S. regulators, farmers, and trade have usually argued lately concerning the energy of prime agriculture corporations to set costs and drive up what shoppers pay for groceries, similar to when the worth of beef skyrocketed in 2021.
The most recent concern is eggs, the worth of which was up 138% in December from a yr prior, to $4.25 a dozen, in keeping with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) has pointed to a document outbreak of avian flu as a motive for the excessive costs. However the nation's antitrust regulator must also study record-high income on the prime egg firm, stated Farm Motion on Thursday in a letter to FTC chair Lina Khan.
Cal-Maine Meals (CALM.O), which controls 20% of the retail egg market, reported quarterly gross sales up 110% and gross income up greater than 600% over the identical quarter within the prior fiscal yr, in keeping with a late December submitting with the Securities and Alternate Fee.
The corporate pointed to decreased egg provide nationwide as a consequence of avian flu driving up costs as a motive for its document gross sales. The corporate has had no optimistic avian flu exams on any of its farms.
U.S. egg manufacturing was about 5% decrease in October in comparison with final yr, and egg inventories had been down 29% in December in comparison with the start of the yr, the most recent USDA information exhibits – a major drop, however one that won't clarify record-high costs, stated Basel Musharbash, an legal professional with Farm Motion.
“We would like the FTC to dig in and see if shoppers are being worth gouged,” Musharbash stated.
The FTC declined to remark.
In an announcement, Cal-Maine stated that increased manufacturing prices, together with avian flu, had been contributing to increased costs.
The American Egg Board, an egg advertising and marketing group, stated in an announcement that egg costs replicate quite a lot of components and that wholesale egg costs are starting to fall.
Practically 58 million chickens and turkeys have been killed by avian flu or to manage the unfold of the virus for the reason that starting of 2022, principally in March and April, in keeping with USDA. The earlier largest outbreak, in 2015, killed 50.5 million birds.
Cal-Maine shares have fallen in latest weeks after climbing nearly 50% final yr.
Reporting by Leah Douglas
Enhancing by Invoice Berkrot and Alistair Bell
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