Bird flu sends US egg prices up, but weak demand prevents shortage

New York

ARE egg prices up significantly? Or are the reports overblown that attribute higher prices to an outbreak of avian flu that has affected some 47 million chickens and turkeys?

Well, yes and no, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). "We have seen a very sharp run-up in wholesale egg prices, and now they're starting to come down," said Shayle Shagam, a livestock, dairy and poultry analyst at the agency.

Mr Shagam said that the wholesale price of New York large shell eggs, the ones that he watches to make his forecasts and reports, peaked at US$2.49 a dozen on May 29, up from US$1.20 a dozen at the beginning of the year.

The price stayed at that level until June 9, when it began falling, Mr Shagam said. On Tuesday…