- Cyberpunk 2077 player stumbles across main menu easter egg hidden in plain sight, dev says ‘I started to doubt you chooms will ever find it’ PC Gamer
- For the second time in a week, a Cyberpunk 2077 Easter egg has been found that the devs had “started to doubt” would ever be discovered Gamesradar
- Cyberpunk 2077 player uncovers brand-new secret in game’s latest update GAMINGbible
- CD Projekt dev congratulates Cyberpunk 2077 player on finding an Easter egg photobomb after the RPG’s latest update Gamesradar
- Cyberpunk 2077: Super Secret Easter Egg Finally Discovered IGN
Tag Archives: Egg
Cyberpunk 2077 Player Discovers Easter Egg Hidden in the Main Menu – IGN
- Cyberpunk 2077 Player Discovers Easter Egg Hidden in the Main Menu IGN
- Cyberpunk 2077 player stumbles across main menu easter egg hidden in plain sight, dev says ‘I started to doubt you chooms will ever find it’ PC Gamer
- CD Projekt dev congratulates Cyberpunk 2077 player on finding an Easter egg photobomb after the RPG’s latest update Gamesradar
- Cyberpunk 2077 player uncovers brand-new secret in game’s latest update GAMINGbible
- For the second time in a week, a Cyberpunk 2077 Easter egg has been found that the devs had “started to doubt” would ever be discovered Gamesradar
Jury orders egg suppliers to pay $17.7 million in damages to Kraft, other suppliers for price gouging – New York Post
- Jury orders egg suppliers to pay $17.7 million in damages to Kraft, other suppliers for price gouging New York Post
- Federal jury awards $17.7 million to Kraft, other suppliers after major price-fixing conspiracy Fox Business
- Egg suppliers ordered to pay $17.7 million by federal jury for price gouging in 2000s CBS News
- Federal Jury In Illinois Hits Egg Suppliers With $17.7 Million Penalty For Price Gouging Conspiracy Daily Caller
- Jury awards $US17.7 million to suppliers after major price-fixing conspiracy Sky News Australia
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Investing a measly $100 per week can turn into a nest egg topping $1.1M by retirement — but you need to start at age 25. Here are 5 dead-simple ‘catch-up’ tactics for older Americans – Yahoo Finance
- Investing a measly $100 per week can turn into a nest egg topping $1.1M by retirement — but you need to start at age 25. Here are 5 dead-simple ‘catch-up’ tactics for older Americans Yahoo Finance
- How to make early retirement a reality Fast Company
- Investing a measly $100 per week can turn into a nest egg topping $1.1M by retirement — but you need to start at age 25. Here are 5 dead-simple ‘catch-up’ tactics for older Americans MoneyWise
- 3 Ways Retiring Early May Actually Backfire on You Yahoo Finance
- Why It’s So Hard To Stay Retired Once You Retire Early Financial Samurai
- View Full Coverage on Google News
‘It makes an enormous difference’: Warren Buffett revealed the simple ‘trick’ to earning a fat retirement nest egg — here’s what it is and how to pull it off – Yahoo Finance
- ‘It makes an enormous difference’: Warren Buffett revealed the simple ‘trick’ to earning a fat retirement nest egg — here’s what it is and how to pull it off Yahoo Finance
- Want to Retire As a Millionaire? Follow This Formula The Motley Fool
- Warren Buffett Revealed The Simple ‘trick’ To Earning A Fat Retirement Nest Egg — Here’s What It Is And How To Pull It Off MoneyWise
- Starting from scratch? I’d use the Warren Buffett method to build wealth Yahoo Finance UK
- This is how I’d invest £1,000 like Warren Buffett Yahoo Finance UK
- View Full Coverage on Google News
‘Game of Thrones’ Dunk and Egg Prequel Officially Ordered to Series – Hollywood Reporter
- ‘Game of Thrones’ Dunk and Egg Prequel Officially Ordered to Series Hollywood Reporter
- ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’ Ordered at HBO Variety
- Game of Thrones Prequel Series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Confirmed for Max IGN
- Game of Thrones prequel The Hedge Knight joins House of the Dragon as next series Yahoo Entertainment
- A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight Expands Game Of Thrones Universe On Max Streaming Service /Film
- View Full Coverage on Google News
As egg prices soar, the deadliest bird flu outbreak in US history drags on
Enlarge / Chicken eggs are disposed of at a quarantined farm in Israel’s northern Moshav (village) of Margaliot on January 3, 2022.
The ongoing bird flu outbreak in the US is now the longest and deadliest on record. More than 57 million birds have been killed by the virus or culled since a year ago, and the deadly disruption has helped propel skyrocketing egg prices and a spike in egg smuggling.
Since highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) was first detected in US birds in January 2022, the price of a carton of a dozen eggs has shot up from an average of about $1.79 in December 2021 to $4.25 in December 2022, a 137 percent increase, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although inflation and supply chain issues partly explain the rise, eggs saw the largest percentage increase of any specific food, according to the consumer price index.
And the steep pricing is leading some at the US-Mexico border to try to smuggle in illegal cartons, which is prohibited. A US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told NPR this week that people in El Paso, Texas, are buying eggs in Juárez, Mexico, because they are “significantly less expensive.” Meanwhile, a customs official in San Diego tweeted a reminder amid a rise in egg interceptions that failure to declare such agriculture items at a port of entry can result in penalties up to $10,000.
Foul effects
Still, America’s pain in grocery store dairy aisles likely pales compared to some of the devastation being reaped on poultry farms. HPAI A(H5N1) has been detected in wild birds in all 50 states, and 47 have reported outbreaks on poultry farms. So far, 731 outbreaks across 371 counties. At the end of last month, two outbreaks in Weakley County, Tennessee, affected 62,600 chickens.
With the outbreak at the one-year mark, it is the longest bird flu outbreak on US record. And with 57 million birds dead across 47 states, it’s also the deadliest, surpassing the previous record set in 2015 of 50.5 million birds in 21 states.
Although the virus is highly contagious to birds—and often fatal—the risk to humans is low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the avian influenza Type A viruses (aka bird flu viruses) generally don’t infect humans, though they occasionally can when people have close or lengthy unprotected contact with infected birds. Once in a human, it’s even rarer for the virus to jump from human to human.
In the current outbreak, the CDC has tracked more than 5,000 people who have had contact with infected birds, but only found one single case of bird flu in a human. The reported case in Colorado came from a person who worked directly with infected birds and was involved with a cull. The person had mild symptoms and recovered.
Flu fears
Although the current data is comforting, virologists and epidemiologists still fear the potential for flu viruses, such as bird flu, to mutate and recombine into a human-infecting virus with pandemic potential. A report published in the journal Eurosurveillance on January 19 highlighted the concern. Researchers in Spain documented an outbreak of avian flu among farmed mink on the northwestern coast during October of last year. The mink were likely infected via wild seabirds, which had a coinciding wave of infection with H5N1 viruses at the time. Over the course of October, more and more mink fell ill, suggesting mink-to-mink transmission, which led to the culling of the entire colony of nearly 52,000 animals starting in late October.
Notably, the H5N1 virus infecting the mink had an uncommon mutation that may have enabled it to spread to and among the mink. Mammal-to-mammal transmission of an avian virus alone is noteworthy, but it’s particularly concerning in mink, which can act as viral blenders. As the authors of the Spanish report note:
Experimental and field evidence have demonstrated that minks are susceptible and permissive to both avian and human influenza A viruses, leading to the theory that this species could serve as a potential mixing vessel for the interspecies transmission among birds, mammals and human.
As such, the authors say it is necessary to “strengthen the culture of biosafety and biosecurity in this farming system and promote the implementation of ad hoc surveillance programs for influenza A viruses and other zoonotic pathogens at a global level.”
None of the workers on the mink farm became infected with the H5N1 virus, the authors report. However, they note that using face masks was compulsory for all mink farm workers in Spain following concerns over the spread of SARS-CoV-2. And upon the first detection of an illness at the farm, the workers there took precautions in case it was SARS-CoV-2, which included using disposable overalls, face shields, face mask changing twice per day, and frequent hand washing, all beginning on October 4.
US farm group calls for probe of high egg prices
FOX Business correspondent Lydia Hu has the latest on the impact of the avian bird flu on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Consumers’ wallets have been impacted by skyrocketing inflation in the U.S. this past year.
The latest concern is eggs, the price of which was up 138% in December from a year prior, to $4.25 a dozen, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A farm group is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to examine the rise for signs of price gouging from top egg companies.
Various groups from regulators to farmers and industry officials have often argued in recent years about the power of top agriculture firms to set prices and drive up what consumers pay for groceries.
‘SKY-HIGH’ EGG PRICES: A HISTORICAL LOOK AT EGG COSTS SINCE 1980
A shopper checks eggs before he purchases at a grocery store in Glenview, Illinois. Border officials are seeing more seizures of eggs amid soaring prices and inflation. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh / AP Newsroom)
The nation’s antitrust regulator should examine record-high profits at the top egg company, said Farm Action on Thursday in a letter to FTC chair Lina Khan.
That egg producer is Cal-Maine Foods, which controls 20% of the retail egg market.
Quarterly sales at Cal-Maine were up 110% and gross profits up more than 600% over the same quarter in the prior fiscal year, according to a regulatory filing.
The company pointed to decreased egg supply nationwide due to avian flu driving up prices as a reason for its record sales.
Half-empty shelves of eggs are seen at a supermarket on Jan. 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (I RYU/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)
EGG PRICES RISE MORE THAN 64% IN SOME STATES
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also pointed to a record outbreak of avian flu as a reason for the high prices.
Nearly 58 million chickens and turkeys have been killed by avian flu or to control the spread of the virus since the beginning of 2022, mostly in March and April, according to the USDA.
U.S. egg production was about 5% lower in October compared to last year, and egg inventories were down 29% in December compared to the beginning of the year, a significant drop, but one that may not explain record-high prices, said Basel Musharbash, an attorney with Farm Action.
Cartons of eggs sit in a freezer at a supermarket on Jan. 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (I RYU/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)
US BORDER AUTHORITIES REPORT INCREASE IN EGG SMUGGLING
“We want the FTC to dig in and see if consumers are being price gouged,” Musharbash said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALM | CAL-MAINE FOODS INC. | 54.67 | -1.05 | -1.88% |
In a statement to Reuters, Cal-Maine said that higher production costs are also a factor in higher prices.
The American Egg Board, an egg marketing group, said in a statement that egg prices reflect a variety of factors and that wholesale egg prices are beginning to fall.
FOX Business has reached out to the FTC for comment.
There’s beeen an increase in egg smuggling attempts across the border, says San Diego Customs
CNN
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High prices are driving an increase in attempts to bring eggs into the US from Mexico, according to border officials.
Officers at the San Diego Customs and Border Protection Office have seen an increase in the number of attempts to move eggs across the US-Mexico border, according to a tweet from director of field operations Jennifer De La O.
“The San Diego Field Office has recently noticed an increase in the number of eggs intercepted at our ports of entry,” wrote De La O in the Tuesday tweet. “As a reminder, uncooked eggs are prohibited entry from Mexico into the U.S. Failure to declare agriculture items can result in penalties of up to $10,000.”
Bringing uncooked eggs from Mexico into the US is illegal because of the risk of bird flu and Newcastle disease, a contagious virus that affects birds, according to Customs and Border Protection.
In a statement emailed to CNN, Customs and Border Protection public affairs specialist Gerrelaine Alcordo attributed the rise in attempted egg smuggling to the spiking cost of eggs in the US. A massive outbreak of deadly avian flu among American chicken flocks has caused egg prices to skyrocket, climbing 11.1% from November to December and 59.9% annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The increase has been reported at the Tijuana-San Diego crossing as well as “other southwest border locations,” Alcordo said.
For the most part, travelers bringing eggs have declared the eggs while crossing the border. “When that happens the person can abandon the product without consequence,” said Alcordo. “CBP agriculture specialists will collect and then then destroy the eggs (and other prohibited food/ag products) as is the routine course of action.”
In a few incidents, travelers did not declare their eggs and the products were discovered during inspection. In those cases, the eggs were seized and the travelers received a $300 penalties, Alcordo explained.
“Penalties can be higher for repeat offenders or commercial size imports,” he added.
Alcordo emphasized the importance of declaring all food and agricultural products when traveling.
“While many items may be permissible, it’s best to declare them to avoid possible fines and penalties if they are deemed prohibited,” he said. “If they are declared and deemed prohibited, they can be abandoned without consequence. If they are undeclared and then discovered during an exam the traveler will be subject to penalties.”
Egg shortage sends New Zealanders rushing to buy their own hens
Hong Kong
CNN
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Eggs have soared in cost around the world over the past year as avian flu decimated chicken flocks and fallout from Russia’s war with Ukraine raised the prices of energy and animal feed.
In the United States, egg prices have far surpassed the increase in other grocery items, soaring nearly 60% in the 12 months to December compared to the year before. In Japan, wholesale prices have reached a record high.
In New Zealand, which consumes more eggs per person than most countries, the squeeze has been exacerbated by a change in farming regulations. And rising costs have sparked a frenzy, with people hunting for hens online so they can secure their own supplies of the pantry staple.
On Tuesday, popular local auction site Trade Me told CNN that searches for chickens, and equipment related to caring for them, had spiked 190% so far this month, compared to the same period a month ago.
“Since the start of January, we have seen over 65,000 searches for chickens and other chicken-related items, like feeders, coops and food,” said Millie Silvester, a spokesperson for the company.
The shortage has also caused a particularly acute headache for bakers in the country.
“All the public are now trying to buy chickens for home because they can’t get eggs,” said Ron van Til, a bakery owner near the city of Christchurch, who has had to adjust how he makes his cakes and muffins.
Van Til said his sister was selling “four brand new chickens” on auction through Trade Me, fetching more than double the usual price.
The trend has prompted animal welfare advocates to warn against making impulse buys.
“Chickens live for a long time,” said Gabby Clezy, CEO of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in New Zealand. “They live from eight to 10 years, sometimes even longer depending on the breed.”
Clezy also noted that hens do not produce eggs their entire lives, and their laying habits are dependent on factors including their age and local climate.
“So if people are getting chickens solely because [they think] they’ll have a permanent supply of eggs, that just isn’t the case,” she said. “We’re asking people to consider them as companion animals, which they are.”
Trade Me has also urged customers on its marketplace to think through any purchases.
“It’s important that our members are aware of the responsibilities that come with owning chickens, and are well set up to care for them,” Silvester said in a statement.
Health experts are weighing in, too. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), anyone signing up for a backyard coop should take special care when handling the animals and their eggs, particularly because of the risk of germs associated with salmonella.
New Zealand’s egg shortage has been linked to a long anticipated change in farming law, which took effect on January 1 this year.
The law prohibits the production of eggs from chickens kept in conventional or “battery cages” — typically cramped metal spaces that do not provide adequate welfare for hens, according to SPCA.
That’s why in 2012, the government announced a ban on such facilities.
But “a 10-year transition period away from conventional cages was introduced, to allow egg producers time to shift farming practices,” Peter Hyde, a representative for New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, told CNN in a statement when asked about the current shortage.
“Egg producers had the option to move to colony cages, barns and free-range systems,” added Hyde, the ministry’s acting national manager of animal welfare and national animal identification and tracing compliance.
Hyde said that over the last 18 months, the ministry had “been in regular contact with operators, and visited farms needing to transition.”
Even with the long lead time, however, the ban has caused supply snags, according to some businesses.
Foodstuffs, a New Zealand supermarket chain, recently placed temporary limits on how many eggs each customer can buy.
“It’s a significant change for the egg supply industry,” Emma Wooster, the company’s head of public relations, told CNN in a statement. “We’re working with egg suppliers to increase our offer in other types of eggs.”
Countdown, another major grocery retailer, said while it did not currently have limits on egg sales, it would encourage customers to “only buy what they need” to ensure enough supply for everyone.
Other businesses have been forced to switch things up.
Van Til, the bakery owner, said his team had swapped out fresh eggs in recipes for alternative ingredients.
The longtime owner of Rangiora Bakery has seen wholesale prices for fresh eggs shoot up about 50% compared to four months ago, leading him to buy more dried eggs instead.
Van Til also pointed to changes at other local eateries, saying some cafes had started taking certain dishes off their menus so “instead of having five breakfast items [with] eggs, you might only have two.”
“And the customer hopefully will pick up pancakes or waffles,” he added. “Or whatever other offerings you come up with.”