Egg Industry Remains Confident in Bird Flu Battle

Food Processing: Give a quick explanation of the American Egg Board mission, goals, and what the group is working on currently.

Nate Hedtke: Think of the American Egg Board as the marketing arm of the U.S. egg industry. We’re fully funded by U.S. egg farm ers, and we focus on research, education and promotion of eggs. FP: Can you describe how the HPAI has affected flocks across America at this point? NH: We’ve been battling this for a while now, and it’s not an overexaggeration to say that farmers are in the fight of their lives. HPAI, or bird flu, is extremely unforgiving, and it doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the flocks that it infects. It has impacted all sizes and types of farms, from commercial layer farms to backyard flocks, and all different types of production: con ventional, cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised and organic. We’re seeing this virus outside of birds now in mammals and other livestock.

FP: But bird flu is not new, so what makes this year different from past years?

NH: The current outbreak we’re dealing with really started back in 2022. Prior to that, the last big one was back in 2015; we learned a lot from the virus then, but it has changed. The virus that we’re dealing with now seems to be much more resilient. We’re continuing to learn more about it, but that makes it a challenge. FP: What’s the outlook for the rest of 2025 when it comes to bird flu outbreaks? Are we making headway in preventing them or minimizing the impact? NH: The disease is spread through wild birds, and the spring migration is well underway. We did have a couple weeks in mid-February into early March where we didn’t see any out breaks, but birds are starting to move again (at the time of this recording in mid-March). If his tory is any lesson, it’s reasonable to assume that there likely will be some outbreaks.

FP: What are the latest figures you can share when it comes to egg production, supply-chain challenges, market impacts? How do you see these things evolving?

NH: To date we’ve lost more than 30 million birds since the start of 2025. To put it in perspective, our average flock size is around 320 million birds. Nationally, the egg supply is very constrained, and it’s likely to take into 2026 for the entire industry to recover — and that assumes we don’t get new outbreaks or those new outbreaks are minimal. That’s driven by a few things. First, the normal process to repopulate a farm takes six months under normal conditions. Second, that process is not six months right now, it’s 9 to 12 months because our pullet farms have been impacted by bird flu too. Finally, consumers love eggs, and we’ve been seeing tremendous demand growth, which is putting more pressure on the industry recovery. Our focus is on trying to stabilize the industry as much as we can, as quickly as we can, knowing that there are headwinds.

FP: Talk about the biosecurity measures in the egg industry, and what’s being done there to meet the needs of battling this virus.

NH: Biosecurity is the industry’s No. 1 defense against the virus. Farmers learned a lot in the 2015 outbreak and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in extensive on-farm biosecurity practices and equipment, but it’s not fool proof. In the 2015 outbreak, it was being transmitted through lateral spread, farm to farm. So the industry implemented vehicle and truck-washing stations, and showering in, showering out of barns for workers, so that workers are not spreading it. There are farms that have implemented lasers on their barns to prevent wild birds from flying overhead. But there’s more to learn, and we look forward to working with the USDA and support the Secretary of Agriculture’s new five-point plan to help the industry.

FP: In terms of research, veter inarians and inspectors, is the government providing enough resources and support?

NH: The industry’s been very happy with the response from Secretary Brooke Rollins. She’s made it known that addressing this situation is at the top of her priority list, and I think we’ve seen that with the elements of the plan, which included support for farmers, enhanced biosecurity, looking at vaccines, etc. We’re incredibly optimistic about the additional resources available to producers and the commitment to the industry.

FP: What would you say to CPG companies who might be think ing of reducing their use of eggs as an ingredient or replacing them outright as a reaction to this market turbulence?

NH: I strongly recommend they take a holistic approach to the role of eggs beyond an ingredient cost input. First, when it comes to product formulations and R&D work, eggs provide over 20 different functionalities, covering taste and flavor, texture, stability and binding, emulsification, and other functionalities. There is no 1-to-1 replacement for the egg, which requires additional ingredients to attempt to match performance. You need to be confident the quality won’t change. Further, if you’re going to remove a natural ingredient like an egg, will that deter consumers who don’t know the ingredients now listed on your package? Next, eggs are a commodity, which means there are going to be fluctuations in the market based on supply-and-demand dynamics. But you need to con sider all the other costs beyond ingredient. It’s going to take R&D resources and time, and poten tial packaging changes. Finally, the American Egg Board would love to be a part of this conversa tion. We’ve got culinary and R&D professionals who can help you, talk you through the decision and maybe shed light on some things you should consider.