Latest news with #HPAI
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Higher Egg Prices Lift Results for Cal-Maine Foods; Shares Hit a Record
Shares of Cal-Maine Foods (CALM) traded at an all-time high when the biggest U.S. egg producer easily beat profit and sales estimates on higher prices and volumes. The company reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings per share of $7.04, while analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha were looking for $6.28. Revenue soared 72.2% to $1.10 billion, also topping forecasts. The average selling price of eggs was $3.31, a 54.9% jump from the year before. Cal-Maine attributed the rise to 'the reduced supply of shell eggs across the industry due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza ('HPAI') during a period of high demand for eggs and egg products around the Easter holiday.' In addition, the company sold 311.4 million dozen, up from 285.6 million in 2024, 'reflecting both organic and inorganic expansion.' CEO Sherman Miller said Cal-Maine 'continued to be resilient through a period of unprecedented challenges for our industry.' Shares of Cal-Maine Foods are up more than 15% in morning trading and have added about 20% of their value in 2025. Read the original article on Investopedia
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Waffle House drops egg surcharge: Are egg prices going down? What to know in Alabama
The Waffle House Index may be a useful indicator for more than extreme weather. The diner chain announced on July 1 that its dropping an egg surcharge put in place four months ago, signaling a decline in egg prices from the all-time highs seen earlier this year. "Egg-cellent news…as of June 2, the egg surcharge is officially off the menu," said the post. "Thanks for understanding!" USA TODAY reached out to Waffle House to confirm the change. Waffle House has dozens of locations in Alabama, including 15 in the Montgomery area, eight in the Tuscaloosa area, and four in the Gadsden area. Click here to find a store near you. Why was Waffle House charging extra for eggs? A 50-cent per egg surcharge was implemented at Waffle House's roughly 2,100 locations across the U.S. in early February to offset higher-than-usual prices resulting from a "continuing egg shortage caused by HPAI (Bird Flu)," the company said at the time. Waffle House serves around 272 million eggs per year, according to its website, well surpassing even its titular waffles, of which it sells just 124 million. The temporary charge was employed to avoid increasing prices across other menu items, it said. Are egg prices are down? Egg prices reached a high of roughly $6.22 per dozen on average in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The stage for this uptick was set when the current bird flu outbreak began in the U.S. in 2022 and the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, killed off egg-laying poultry en masse, leaving fewer chickens behind to maintain the supply. By Feb. 3, when Waffle House implemented its surcharge, the virus had infected roughly 150 million poultry across all 50 states since January 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because of the spread, infected birds have been selectively slaughtered across the U.S., including sometimes millions of birds at a single location. Why are egg prices falling? Here's what we know. Egg prices have begun to ease from the highs earlier this year, but their overall prices are still 40% higher than last year, according to the May Consumer Price Index. "Families are seeing relief with egg prices driving food deflation," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said in a June 26 statement about the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) response to bird flu. "While we are proud that over 900 biosecurity assessments have been conducted to date, resources remain available, and we are urging poultry farmers of all sizes to get your assessments done today before a potentially challenging fall.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Waffle House drops egg surcharge: Are prices down? What to know in AL Solve the daily Crossword
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Kittiwakes have died on Isle of May
Nearly 150 kittiwakes on one of Scotland's most important seabird islands have been found dead from bird flu. A total of 148 of the birds have been counted dead from the disease on the Isle of May in the last few weeks. Staff on the island, in the outer Firth of Forth, said the toll showed the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus 'is still very evident in seabird colonies'. However, kittiwakes appear to be the only species affected this year on the island, which is run by NatureScot as a National Nature Reserve, with suggestions of immunity building in some other birds. David Steel, NatureScot's reserve manager on the island, said: 'In recent years all seabird species have been affected by the virus including several on the island. 'However it appears more virulent in our kittiwakes as we have seen losses on an annual basis since 2022. 'Over the last few weeks we have noticed a number of kittiwakes dead on the loch and yesterday we confirmed a total of 148 dead, which had built up over a few weeks.' Bird flu outbreak was first detected in great skuas in the Northern Isles in summer 2021 and in 2022 spread to seabirds across Scotland, with devastating impacts on some species. The virus spreads between birds through contact with infected saliva and droppings. Known as the 'Jewel of the Forth', the Isle of May becomes home each spring to up to 200,000 birds including puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and shags. Isle of May PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Like this: Like Related
Zawya
15-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
South Africa lifts ban on Brazilian poultry imports after bird flu contained
South Africa has lifted its import ban on live poultry and poultry products from Brazil after the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Rio Grande do Sul was officially contained. The Department of Agriculture confirmed that effective 4 July 2025, poultry trade with Brazil may resume after a bilateral meeting between veterinary authorities from both countries, where revised Veterinary Health Certificates (VHCs) were agreed upon. "The positive outcome is a direct result of the dedicated efforts of our officials. With this resolution, imports can resume, which will significantly contribute to enhancing food security for all citizens," says Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen. Brazil declared free of HPAI The department said stamping-out measures were applied at the affected breeder premises in Montenegro, followed by a 28-day waiting period and disinfection, in line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) protocols. Brazil declared itself free of HPAI on 18 June 2025. However, as a precautionary measure, poultry products packed between 1 May and 18 June 2025 will remain restricted from entry into South Africa. The department said it remains vigilant and will continue monitoring the situation closely. Any new developments indicating a potential spread of the outbreak could lead to a review of the decision. "This development underlines the department's commitment to science-based decision making and the importance of maintaining open, transparent and technically sound channels of communication between trading partners," Steenhuisen adds. For updates and official notices, the public is encouraged to follow the department's verified platforms.
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
How the resumption of MDM imports from Brazil impacts South Africa's food security crisis
The South African government has lifted the ban on Brazilian MDM import but food security is still a concern. Image: File South Africa has officially lifted its eight-week ban on Brazilian poultry imports, including mechanically deboned meat (MDM), a critical input in the production of affordable processed meats such as polony, viennas, russians, and sausages. But despite this breakthrough, food processors and importers warn that it will take months for supply chains to recover, and food inflation and shortages are likely to persist until November. The Department of Agriculture announced that the ban was lifted on Tuesday, July 8, after Brazil was officially declared free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu. MDM and chicken produced in Brazil after June 18 are now eligible for export to South Africa, provided they pass inspection upon arrival. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The ban was instituted on May 15 following a single outbreak of bird flu on a farm in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. That isolated case effectively shut down 95% of South Africa's MDM imports overnight, as Brazil is by far the country's dominant supplier. Georg Southey, manager at Merlog Foods, one of South Africa's largest importers of chilled meats, welcomed the lifting of the ban but warned that the damage to food security has already been immense. 'This situation can recur in the case of another bird flu infection in Brazil,' said Southey. 'What is needed is an agreement between the two countries on a regionalisation protocol, so that a future isolated outbreak does not halt shipments from a very large country.' Regionalisation is a global animal health standard endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health and allows unaffected areas within a country to continue trade even if one region is impacted. A similar temporary arrangement is already in place with the United States, where individual states can self-declare as bird flu-free. According to Southey, the delay in reaching an agreement between Brazil and South Africa resulted in massive losses. 'The ban on MDM and items such as chicken livers from Brazil has amplified South Africa's food security crisis, with an estimated 100 million meals lost each week during the eight-week shipment stall,' he said. Prices of MDM have surged by 140% during the suspension, and South African producers, particularly those supplying school feeding programmes and lower-income markets, are now battling with shortages and inflationary pressures. Merlog Foods expects the first MDM imports to resume in the week of July 14, but cautions that it will take at least six to eight weeks to replenish supply chains, as the average shipment the average shipment takes over 28 days at sea. 'MDM prices are likely to remain elevated as Brazilian exporters try to capitalise on the gap,' said Southey. 'Consumers can expect higher prices on polony and viennas until October, with normal supply and pricing only expected to stabilise by November 2025.' The South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA) also welcomed the lifting of the ban, describing the impasse as one that had pushed processors to the brink. 'We are delighted that the deadlock between South Africa and Brazil has been resolved, as meat processors were facing dire circumstances,' said SAMPA chairperson Gordon Nicoll. Nicoll confirmed that many meat processors were running out of MDM stock and were facing factory closures and looming job losses. 'Our members were starting to run out of stock of MDM, which meant that shoppers and consumers were about to be confronted by a lack of viennas, polony, russians, and braai wors on the shelves,' he said. 'Meat processors were facing widescale layoffs as factories, for almost two months, have been unable to import MDM.' Although a June announcement hinted at a partial lift of the ban for unaffected regions of Brazil, technical disagreements over South Africa's Import Health Certificate wording kept the deadlock in place until the new wording was agreed on this week. Nicoll said that even with the immediate crisis resolved, the future remains uncertain without stronger contingency plans. 'We are immensely grateful to the agriculture unit, led by Mr Dipepeneneng Serage, for their assistance and willingness to listen to industry and initiate engagements with Brazil to resume the trade of MDM,' he said. 'We have been working with the government for over two years to have policies and procedures in place to help South Africa when it is confronted by a poultry epidemic or pandemic. We will continue working with the National Department of Agriculture to implement better contingency plans.' South Africa does not produce MDM in any meaningful quantity, making imports essential to the processed meat value chain. Over 95% of the country's MDM imports over the last 12 years have come from Brazil, which is the world's largest MDM producer. With domestic production unable to fill the gap, the suspension of imports placed over 125,000 jobs in the food processing sector at risk. As production ramps up and trade routes resume, industry leaders stress that policy certainty and regionalisation protocols are critical to avoiding another food crisis in the future.
