Latest news with #eggproduction
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
One of the nation's largest egg producers has lost 95% of its chickens to bird flu. It could spell price hikes
Arizona's largest egg producer has lost 95 percent of its chickens due to the bird flu, signaling a potential price increase for eggs. On Monday, the Arizona Department of Agriculture announced a third commercial farm had tested positive for bird flu in Maricopa County. At the same time, Hickman's Egg Ranch, which is Arizona's largest egg producer and one of the nation's top 20 producers, has had to destroy the chickens at three of its four farms due to the bird flu. "All of our layer flocks have been on the west side of town, have been determined to be positive. We're in the act of depopulating those farms and removing the chickens and trying to start the cleanup process," Glenn Hickman, the president and CEO of Hickman's Egg Ranch, told Fox 10 Phoenix. Hickman expressed his frustration at the three-year-long flu forcing him to destroy egg-laying chickens. "You know, since this outbreak started in February of 2022, we've lost 170 million birds and that's just got to stop," he said. According to Hickman, it will take 20 months to fully repopulate his farms. The company is trying to get by in the meantime with help from other farms. "Thankfully, we have some other farmers that we are cooperative with, and some of those have had some extra eggs. So we've been able to kind of reshift and reprioritize where those eggs are going," he said. While egg prices have been lowering around the country since they spiked earlier this year, a supply chain expert told Fox 10 Phoenix that there is a chance that egg prices in Arizona will increase. "Hickman's supplies about 80 percent of Arizona's egg production. You are reducing about 80 percent of Arizona's supply chain from about 2.2 billion to 450 million eggs," Hitendra Chaturvedi, an Arizona State University Professor of Practice for the department of supply chain management told the broadcaster. Hickman disagreed, and said the impact of losing his chickens on the market will be "pretty nominal." Arizona's egg struggles are playing out as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is singing President Donald Trump 's praises for a reduction in egg prices. She blamed the spike in egg prices on former President Joe Biden 's administration. "I remember my very first briefing, I was asked about the cost of eggs, the reporter tried to insinuate this administration was at fault, even though he had only been here for a few days or weeks," Leavitt said. "It was a result of the previous administration's terrible polices and in record time, this president has fixed that problem he inherited from Joe Biden, and prices have dropped 61 percent since this president took office." According to Trading Economics data, white, large shell eggs are around $2.52 per dozen nationally. On January 21, the same carton would have cost approximately $6.49, nationally. According to analysts at Clarify Capital, the price drop is partially a result of Americans buying fewer eggs due to their spike in prices — thus creating more supply — and a lull in new bird flu cases. Reuters also reported in April that the U.S. has increased its egg imports from Turkey, Brazil, and South Korea to help bolster supply and bring down prices. Since the outbreak began in 2022, the bird flu has affects more than 166 million birds, including 127 million egg laying birds.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Al Ain Farms Group to double egg production, reduce prices
Al Ain Farms Group, one of the UAE's oldest and largest food producers, is set to double its table egg production to 800 million annually by the end of 2026, making it the largest egg producer in the GCC. This expansion is part of the newly merged entity's push to enhance food security, reduce consumer prices, and position the UAE as a protein powerhouse. Speaking to Khaleej Times, CEO Hassan Safi revealed, "We currently produce about 400 million eggs per year. Once we scale up to 800 million, we will be the largest table egg producer in the region. This is a major strategic move." The company is also expanding its poultry production from 13 million kg to 19 million kg per year and introducing a range of protein-enriched dairy and juice products aimed at health-conscious consumers. The expansion follows a strategic merger bringing together five of the UAE's most trusted food producers — Al Ain Farms, Marmum Dairy, Al Ajban Chicken, Al Jazira Poultry Farm's Golden Eggs, and Saha Arabian Farms — under one umbrella. The consolidation, supported by Ghitha Holding, YAS Holding, and International Holding Company (IHC), aims to create a unified food production platform with a fully integrated supply chain. Farming in the desert The UAE's harsh climate has always posed a challenge to agriculture, but Al Ain Farms has defied the odds since its inception more than four decades ago. Safi credits the company's success to continuous innovation and now, increasingly, the use of AI. "When we first started putting cows in the desert, it was a revolutionary idea," said Safi. "Now AI is making everything smarter — from cow health monitoring to sales predictions.' In partnership with UAE University and a global AI firm, Al Ain Farms is developing a predictive model that uses both historical and real-time consumption data to optimise supply and reduce waste. "Today, the industry average waste in retail is about 7%. With AI, we believe we can cut that down to 3%," he said. "That would be a significant gain for food security and operational efficiency.' AI is also being deployed to detect early signs of illness in cows using robotic systems, allowing for faster and more precise intervention. "We're exploring robots that roam the barns, capturing images and identifying unwell cows before humans even notice." In addition to AI, the company is investing in sugar reduction, lactose-free dairy, sustainable packaging, and alternative protein innovations. Safi declined to share specific export figures due to listing regulations but hinted at ambitions to replicate Al Ain Farms' full-value-chain model in underdeveloped markets. "We're not looking to export fresh products directly, but we are studying opportunities to invest and build similar models regionally. We're already in advanced stages of our feasibility studies." Platform for future collaborations Issa Al Khoory, deputy CEO of Ghitha Holding, said the integration of all five companies is designed not just for scale, but also for impact. "We're not just building a dairy giant, we're building a food security champion," Al Khoory said. "We see this platform as one that can host future acquisitions and partnerships in the UAE and abroad.' He added that the group is now uniquely positioned to attract international partners in health-focused and innovation-driven categories, such as plant-based foods and smart agriculture. "We have the scale, the data, and the ambition. And most importantly, we have the responsibility to contribute to the UAE's food resilience." Safi emphasised that product quality is a key strategic focus for the newly merged group. "We're raising the bar on quality. We want our customers to trust that every claim on the label is real. That includes better transparency, traceability, and overall integrity in our offerings,' he concluded.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Global Eggs completes acquisition in US, closes new deal in Europe
SAO PAULO, May 13 (Reuters) - Global Eggs, a group controlled by Brazilian entrepreneur Ricardo Faria, has completed its $1.1 billion acquisition of U.S. egg producer Hillandale Farms, just weeks after closing a new deal in Europe, Faria told Reuters on Tuesday. Last month, Global Eggs signed an agreement to acquire Spanish company Granja Legaria, Faria said, adding that Legaria has about 350,000 birds. He did not disclose the value of the deal. Global Eggs will now focus on ramping up its U.S. production while pursuing further broadening its European presence, Faria said, adding he is in talks with other egg producers in Europe. Last November Global Eggs acquired Spain's Grupo Hevo. "We are really happy with Europe and very upbeat with our operation in the U.S.," he said. Hillandale is among the top five egg producers in the U.S. and currently raises about 20 million laying hens. "Our commitment to the U.S. consumer is to increase the flock by one million birds in a year," said Faria. The United States is currently grappling with an egg shortage following a bird flu outbreak that has killed nearly 170 million chickens, turkeys and other birds since 2022, leading the U.S. to increase egg imports from Turkey, Brazil and South Korea.
