Canada’s egg industry not impacted by avian flu, stays vigilant

While much of the world has grappled with an egg shortage that has pushed the price of a morning omelette through the roof, Canadians have been largely insulated from the worst of the impacts.

Though Canadian egg prices have increased over the last year, up 16.5 per cent since December 2021, other countries are facing far steeper rises. In the US, egg prices have were up more than 60 per cent in 2022.

“Egg prices are up for a variety of reasons, just like other foods,” Michael von Massow, Guelph University professor of food, agriculture and resource economics said on Wake Up with Rob Snow. “But specifically for eggs, some countries are experiencing outbreaks of avian influenza.”

The US is currently experiencing its worst outbreak of the disease in history, resulting in more than 58 million bird deaths over the last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The same strain of the virus is spreading through flocks globally. Canada has been lucky not to have had a major outbreak.

“We did have a bit of a problem in British Columbia where they had some avian influenza on Turkey farms, so they were short fresh turkey right before Christmas,” said von Massow. “But we haven't had that issue with eggs here in Canada.”

“Farmers are using very good bio-security measures,” von Massow added. “I would say we can't take our eye off the ball. We may continue to be lucky and it may not become an issue, but it is still a risk.”

There are signs to be optimistic about good prices in general, von Massow believes. The conflict in Ukraine and flooding in California continue to put pressure on food production, but as the Canadian growing season comes around in the spring, shoppers could experience some relief.

Food prices in December slowed to an 11 per cent increase compared to November's 11.4 per cent increase, according to Statistics Canada. 

Listen to the entire interview with Michael von Massow on Wake Up with Rob Snow below.