Egg-laying hens hit lowest in 12 years due to bird flu outbreak

By a2016032

Published : April 27, 2017 - 17:45

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The number of egg-laying hens in South Korea fell to the lowest level in 12 years in the first quarter, data showed Thursday, sparking concerns that egg prices could go up further.

The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that the number of hens came to 51.6 million as of March 1, down 26.5 percent from a year earlier.

(Yonhap)

The decline came as South Korea slaughtered more than 37.8 million poultry -- 25.2 million of those being egg-laying hens -- in recent months to contain the bird flu that first hit the country in November last year.

The massive culling of hens has pushed up the prices of eggs in recent months before they fell briefly with the import of eggs from the US, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.

Still, egg prices rose again as South Korea recently halted imports of eggs from the US and Spain due to their own outbreaks of bird flu.

The retail price of a carton of 30 eggs came to 10,300 won ($9) at a store in Seoul on last Thursday. (Yonhap)

Egg-laying hens hit lowest in 12 years due to bird flu outbreak

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