Egg prices in the United States continue to skyrocket, while in Canada, they remain relatively steady – even catching the attention of late-night television.
On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, the host couldn’t resist poking fun at the price gap, joking that while Americans struggle with egg rations, Canadians are “yolking it up” with their cheaper cartons.
“F— it, I’m with Trump – let’s bomb Saskatchewan,” Colbert quipped.
But behind the joke lies a serious issue driving up costs in the U.S. – a relentless bird flu outbreak that has devastated poultry farms, forcing farmers to cull millions of chickens and sending egg prices soaring.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of a dozen large eggs in December was USD$4.15, marking a 37 per cent increase from the previous year. Prices could climb even higher, with the United States Department of Agriculture predicting a further 20 per cent rise in 2025.
With bird flu also affecting poultry farms in Canada and leading to the culling of millions of birds, could Canadian egg prices soon follow suit?
Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab and a professor at Dalhousie University, explains that Canada’s supply management system – which regulates egg production, imports, and prices – has helped maintain stability.
“In Canada, we’ve had to slaughter about 14.5 million birds so far. But because of supply management, farmers communicate with each other. From a biosecurity perspective, I’d say we handle these situations more efficiently by sharing information, so outbreaks don’t necessarily spiral out of control… it’s a huge advantage,” he said.
In contrast, Charlebois noted that the U.S. egg industry operates under a market-driven system, making prices more volatile when disruptions like avian flu impact supply.
However, while Canada has so far avoided significant price hikes, he warned there’s no guarantee this will last, especially with peak demand periods like Easter on the horizon.