U.S. Secretary of Agriculture talks egg prices

MT. PLEASANT — According to our news partner KETK, the recently sworn in U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made a stop in East Texas Monday to hear from local farmers.

Controlling the virus outbreak that began in 2022 is a top priority for Rollins’ department. Bird flu is widespread amongst wild birds and has caused outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows. Recently, the virus has spread to humans. Rollins, however, is focused on the economic impact the virus continues to have in egg prices. As of date, the federal government has spent about $2 billion in response to the bird flu. Yet, the average cost of a dozen eggs in the nation is $8.03, more than $3 since early January.

This comes after more than 156 million birds across the nation have been lost to the bird flu in the past three years.

“The biggest challenge is getting our arms around a virus that has basically in the last year or two gotten much harder to manage,” Rollins said.

On Monday, Rollins heard from East Texas organizations in hopes to help the current administration address the issues from the consumer and producer side.

Those in attendance expressed their concerns about the significant bird deficit caused by the mass killing of animals to control the avian flu, the challenges of maintaining biosecurity and the ongoing impact of repeated cold weather freezes.

These issues have compounded the difficulties farmers face, creating a complex situation that threatens the stability of the agricultural industry and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.

When addressing these concerns, Rollins left on a promising note:

“We’ll be rolling out a plan mid to late week, where we talk about specifically what we believe at the United States Department of Agriculture, needs to be done to try to roll this back,” Rollins said.