Las Vegas residents are struggling with soaring egg prices as the bird flu continues to impact supply. The virus has severely affected poultry farms, leading to a shortage that has left shoppers scrambling for affordable eggs. As demand grows and availability shrinks, many consumers find themselves searching multiple stores to secure reasonably priced cartons, turning a basic grocery item into a costly commodity. "I have to budget around that too now just because it's super expensive over here," Alize Gutierrez, a local shopper, expressed to News3LV.
Egg prices have skyrocketed to $7.34 per dozen, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, leaving many Las Vegas residents with tough choices—cut back on spending or skip eggs entirely. The surge is driven by the ongoing bird flu outbreak, which has led to the loss of over 13 million birds nationwide. With outbreaks continuing across multiple states, the strain on supply shows no signs of easing. “It's ridiculous if, at a certain price, I won't get it I’ll leave it there. I've done it before, just forget it I ain't going to get it. People can’t afford it ain't going to be able to get them,” said another shopper struggling with affordability, in an interview obtained by News3LV.
Change, however, may be on the horizon with Assembly Bill 171 (AB171), which could assuage the inflated egg market in Nevada. According to 8NewsNow, if passed, AB171 could quicken supply inflow, potentially nudging prices downwards as a result of the economic principle of supply and demand. Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea provided a timeline for this potential relief, suggesting an increase in egg supply could occur in as little as a month following the bill's passage.
Currently stalled by the rituals of the legislature, AB171 has moved fast, winning a unanimous voice vote in the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. The bill hopes to amend regulations, the catalyst for the amendment is a 2021 Nevada law penned by Assemblymember Howard Watts, which only permits the sale of cage-free eggs within the state. The amendment to AB171 relaxes this law, permitting eggs from caged chickens under specific emergency circumstances and allowing the Nevada Department of Agriculture to admit Grade B eggs or those from small local operations if needed. This new legislative shift aims to skirt around the egg production bottleneck caused by ongoing bird flu outbreaks. AB171 paves the way for Nevada to purchase eggs from out-of-state suppliers who don't meet cage-free mandates. Watts told the Assembly committee, "Since 2022, roughly 20 million egg-laying chickens have died or been culled as a result of this disease outbreak. And that’s created a really significant supply chain crunch and issue," a statement obtained by 8NewsNow.
The 120-day suspension of cage-free requirements, potentially extendable twice a year, emerges as the beacon of this bill. Goicoechea has noted that this duration aligns with the minimum time required to raise a chicken to start laying eggs. Support for AB171 has been widespread, with endorsements from various sectors, recognizing the plight of consumers grappling with high egg prices.
