August 23, 2007

 

US egg production falls in first-half 2007

 

 

After rising on a year-over-year basis in all four quarters of 2006, total egg production has fallen in the first two quarters of 2007.

 

Egg production for consumption was 3.18 billion dozen in the first half of 2007, down 1.4 percent from first-half 2006.

 

The decline was partially offset by a small increase in the production of hatching eggs to 548 million dozen.

 

The increase in the production of hatching eggs occurred mostly in the second quarter as broiler producers began to expand production to allow for higher meat production in the second half of 2007.

 

The smaller production of table eggs, along with a strong export market, has resulted in higher prices for eggs for most of the first half of 2007

 

Wholesale prices in the New York market averaged $1.15 per dozen in July, and weekly prices had gone as high as $1.19 per dozen in the beginning of August.

 

Egg exports in the first half of 2007 totaled 102 million dozen ( shell eggs and egg products). In the traditional large markets, higher exports to Mexico and Hong Kong were offset by smaller shipments to Canada and Japan.

 

Much higher shipments to China and the EU added to the total.

 

Exports to China in the first half of 2007 totaled 3.0 million dozen, triple from the same period in 2006.

 

Shipments to the EU totaled 18 million dozen in the first 6 months of 2007, up 190 percent from the previous year.