00:00This graph shows the consumer price of eggs since 1980.
00:05You can see the highest peak is, well, now, in 2025.
00:10But look at these two other spikes here and here.
00:14It's the same problem pecking away at your wallet.
00:17A bird flu outbreak.
00:19So, just like in 2015, the price should go back down, right?
00:24Well, it's not that simple.
00:26The spread of the current bird flu virus has experts and farmers on especially high alert.
00:32The industry has culled upwards of 170 million, which really is unprecedented.
00:40And politicians blaming each other isn't solving the problem.
00:44The Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens.
00:50So, President Trump, what's your plan to stop the spread of bird flu?
00:54If the outbreak isn't contained soon, egg prices could crack the record high reached in February 2025 of $6 a dozen.
01:03Double the price from one year earlier.
01:06Of course, that's just an average.
01:08You've probably seen shelves filled with eight or even $10 cartons.
01:13And the bird flu is wreaking havoc on more than just chickens.
01:19Put your camera down.
01:22So, why is this bird flu outbreak so bad?
01:27And how long can we expect eggs to be this expensive?
01:33The H5N1 avian flu usually starts in wild migratory birds.
01:39If other birds come into contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces, they catch it too.
01:45The virus then copies itself rapidly, attacking multiple organs.
01:51And at large poultry farms, chickens are kept in such close proximity that the virus can spread quickly between them.
02:00The flu is so severe in chickens that entire flocks can die within 48 hours of infection.
02:07Federal policy requires all the birds in a flock be killed if just one test positive for avian flu.
02:14So far, farmers have had to kill more than 170 million birds.
02:20In 2015, that number was in the 50 million range.
02:25Culling hens will raise egg and chicken prices in the short term.
02:29But it stops the blue in its tracks.
02:32Then, farmers can rebuild their flocks and get egg production going again.
02:37During the outbreak 10 years ago, poultry producers did just that.
02:41And it worked.
02:43So why isn't it working now?
02:46Well, for the first time ever, the avian flu has been found in cows.
02:52Scientists believe infected cows can pass the virus to healthy poultry flocks.
02:59And the risk is higher when dairy farms and poultry farms are near each other, like they are here.
03:06That's made it a lot harder to contain the spread.
03:09Because the more movement that you have of the virus and the more replication of the virus,
03:14the more chances the virus has to mutate and adapt to a new host.
03:19A host like us.
03:22Because cows and humans have a few things in common.
03:26They've had very high levels of virus, like in their udders.
03:29And what we know is that the types of receptors that they have in their udders
03:33are receptors that are found both in human eyes,
03:36human upper respiratory tract and human lower respiratory tract.
03:40And depending on how it mutates, there's different concerns that come up
03:44both around how communicable it is between people and then how deadly it is,
03:48how likely it could be to cause pneumonias and kill people.
03:52Out of 70 human cases reported so far in the United States,
03:56there has been one death, a resident of Louisiana.
04:00Almost 60% of these cases came from exposure to cattle.
04:05The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the current public health risk for humans is low.
04:11But Crystal Heath, a veterinarian, is skeptical of this messaging.
04:16We followed Crystal, who has been photographing dairy and poultry farms in California
04:21to document and expose the severity of the outbreak.
04:26Today we're driving by some of the dairies and poultry facilities that I've been by before.
04:32Last time I was there, I filmed boarded fetuses on the ground,
04:38cows with a lot of nasal discharge, and cows breathing rapidly.
04:43I don't know for sure if they had avian influenza,
04:47but those are all signs of avian influenza.
04:56We can't see the implications of the outbreak in poultry flocks because they're hidden away.
05:03But with avian influenza in dairy cows, they're out in the open.
05:10It's easy to drive by any facility and see for yourself what's happening.
05:14And unfortunately, there's just not a lot of footage in the media showing sick cows.
05:21In about two and a half miles, take exit 85 toward Page Avenue.
05:35So we're just going to see.
05:38Sometimes I don't see any signs of illness until I actually photograph them.
05:44Put your camera down.
05:51I'm going to drive to the next area here.
06:06See how many birds there are.
06:10So you'll see the birds eating the grass.
06:15See how many birds there are.
06:19So you'll see the birds eating the feed, drinking out of the water troughs,
06:22and pooping in the water troughs.
06:24So they could potentially spread this disease to the cows.
06:29And you can hear all of the birds in the background.
06:35And also hear the cannon that is a loud boom trying to deter the birds.
06:43The birds seem unimpressed by the cannon.
06:47But you could see how avian influenza could spread from the birds to dairies like this.
06:59Business Insider cannot confirm that all of these dairy farms have had avian flu outbreaks.
07:05But as of April 2nd, 996 dairy herds in the U.S. had contracted bird flu.
07:11Over 75% of them were in California.
07:16You have thousands of highly stressed animals housed in these facilities in close contact with human beings.
07:23This is the perfect environment for viruses to mutate and potentially jump to humans.
07:33It's hard even under the best circumstances.
07:36A lot of these facilities are implementing all of the biosecurity protocols available to them.
07:42And they are still having outbreaks.
07:47Experts say there's no reason as of yet to believe you can get bird flu from drinking pasteurized milk or eating beef.
07:54We have just not seen anyone get sick by that route.
08:00But egg prices are at record highs.
08:03Cows are getting sick.
08:05And humans could be at risk.
08:07What can we do?
08:09There is one other option.
08:11Vaccination.
08:13But producers are worried this would ruin their ability to trade internationally.
08:18Trade partners refuse to buy vaccinated poultry because, in theory, those birds might not exhibit symptoms
08:25but could still carry and spread the disease.
08:29The Congressional Chicken Caucus says that losing access to the export market
08:33could mean an annual economic loss of $10 billion or more.
08:38And yet, the avian flu has already spread to every continent but Australia.
08:43I hope they realize that actually wild bird migration patterns, wild bird flocks,
08:48even without vaccination, the chance is still there that you're going to import
08:52or there will be spillover in some manner.
08:54If the detection is a problem, then you need to have better protocols in place
08:57for surveillance of imported poultry in general.
09:01Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Trump administration,
09:07who's known for stating misinformation about vaccines, claimed vaccination would turn those birds into mutant factories.
09:16He suggested letting the virus run its course without intervention.
09:21You know what else causes mutant factories is unregulated spread because you have ongoing mutations,
09:26you have ongoing spillovers.
09:28People have thought about this for vaccinating humans at times too, right?
09:32There is, of course, a risk because viruses will then continue to replicate, continue to mutate.
09:36But that has never been an argument to not vaccinate people or anybody.
09:41We still have a goal that is a reasonable goal, which is to reduce morbidity, reduce mortality.
09:47RFK Jr.'s comments came as the USDA announced an additional investment of $1 billion to combat bird flu,
09:55with $100 million dedicated exclusively to vaccine research.
10:00The Biden administration spent just over $2 billion on managing the outbreak with limited success.
10:07But these billions aren't just about finding a solution.
10:11These companies that do this and have to exterminate their birds due to avian influenza
10:16get millions of dollars in taxpayer-subsidized bailouts.
10:23The recent USDA investment allocates 40% of the funds to compensate producers for their losses.
10:30Critics think this could disincentivize poultry producers from changing their farming practices.
10:37It's important for people to remember that when you have a lot of money on the line,
10:41the result often will be second until there's no choice, until a lot of people get very sick quickly
10:47and now you really have to do something about it.
10:50Several poultry farmers declined to speak with Business Insider for this story,
10:55with many citing concerns of retaliation and losing contracts with clients.
11:00The Department of Justice recently launched an investigation into price gouging by large egg producers,
11:06including withholding supply to keep prices high.
11:11All the while, restaurants and consumers are struggling to manage.
11:17Tribeca Park Cafe in New York City had to raise the price of the classic bacon, egg and cheese by 75 cents.
11:25The owner even put up Business Insider articles about the rising price of eggs
11:30to try to explain this decision to customers.
11:33Still, it didn't go well.
11:41Across the country, restaurants like Waffle House have done the same thing.
11:47Bakeries like Norma's Sweets in New Orleans are also feeling the heat.
11:52Oh, it's hurting, man. Normally we get them for $35, $40 a case, and now we're paying like $100, $1800, $120.
11:59It's horrible, you know, it's tough.
12:02Americans are seeking out deals on cheap eggs whenever they can.
12:07I absolutely love Costco, so waiting in line is no problem.
12:10And we got here at 9 a.m. right when they opened, and there was already a line like this.
12:16In 2015, it took about six months for egg prices to return to pre-outbreak levels.
12:22We're in the third year of this recent outbreak in the U.S.,
12:26and the only relief the egg market has seen is a drop in wholesale egg prices.
12:31But it's unclear if and when consumers will see lower prices at the grocery store.
12:37In fact, in March, the USDA predicted prices would rise 57.6% in 2025.
12:44And despite the extra government funding to combat bird flu,
12:48widespread layoffs of public health workers could make fighting the disease harder.
12:54Harry is more optimistic about egg prices.
12:57Let me kind of go through a really brief little cycle with you.
13:00The bird flu causes this supply shock, which causes prices to double,
13:06then send market signals to existing egg producers to expand their production,
13:13to take advantage of the high price.
13:15In a funny way, the high prices that we observe right now may cause low prices eventually.
13:22Producers right now that have healthy hens, you can bet they're expanding their production.
13:30Still, infectious disease experts warn that the mutation of the virus
13:34makes market recovery more complicated this time around.
13:39So is there any way to save money these days?
13:43Trader Joe's, Aldi, and Costco often have the best deals on eggs.
13:48But that doesn't help if you can't find any in stock.
13:51What you can find are substitutes, like bananas and flaxseed for baking,
13:57chickpea flour for an omelet, or good old-fashioned liquid egg substitute.
14:02And if you're worried about protein, consider other options, like beans, seeds, or nuts.
14:09Even if you aren't quite ready to make the change, rewriting your favorite recipes to be egg-free
14:14might come in handy the next time egg prices spike.
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