ON-AIR SEGMENT: New York Ag Commissioner talks soaring egg prices as country wrestles with HPAI outbreak

Egg prices are soaring through the roof and U.S. agriculture officials warn that they could very well remain sky high for the next several months.

For now, the nation is wrestling with an outbreak of HPAI, specifically the H5N1 virus, which is devastating poultry farms throughout the mid-west and since has trickled to both coasts.

As of this report, despite the detection of this latest HPAI virus in New York State, the Ag Commissioner, Richard A. Ball, assures that the overall risk to public health remains low.

"We saw it in 2022 for the first time in a long time and we're now seeing it this year," the Ag Commissioner said. "And that is directly related to the migratory habits (of bird flocks)."

Listen to our featured on-air segment with Ag Commissioner Ball here:

Earlier this month, state authorities said they were keeping a sharp eye on the spread of this virus in New York, as the strain was detected on a poultry farm on Long Island and in a wild goose in Putnam County. 

Although the Commissioner pointed out that most eggs found in grocery stores across New York are locally sourced to a certain extent, the marketplace is known to "run with it" and act unpredictably in response to devastation. 

"They're not governed by the government or the state, you know the marketplace reacts," the Commissioner explained. 

"How that affects the price of eggs, it's not a straight line, but certainly if you take large populations out of production in the mid-west, it's going to ripple effect and get here eventually."

As the virus wreaks havoc on bird populations, Commissioner Ball assures that he remains in frequent contact with New York's Department of Health, along with other Ag officials around the country, focusing on policies and tactics to minimize any potential impacts from the virus.

Image of Commissioner Richard A. Ball via New York State Ag Department.