Thank God it’s not soy because you would be fucked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Back
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Thank God it’s not soy because you would be fucked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Back
With Easter fast approaching, the Trump egg crisis is becoming critical. Will Trump's questionable plan avert an Easter catastrophe?
Trump is on social media telling people to shut up about egg prices. In what appears t be a coordinated change of message, Trump's Treasury Secretary says people should live the American Dream, instead of pining for "cheap goods."Quote:
Amid a record-breaking outbreak of avian flu that’s decimated egg production across the country, the cost of eggs has skyrocketed. Nationwide, a dozen eggs sold for $4.95 on average in January, up from $2.52 last year.
Trump’s solution? To import 70 million–100 million perishable and fragile eggs from other countries within the next month. The plan is as foolproof as it sounds.
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WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday defended President Donald Trump’s assertive stance on tariffs, arguing that "access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American Dream.”
His comments come after Trump had imposed steep 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada earlier this week. Trump then took executive action delaying new tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico that fell under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement for one month.
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DOJ investigating major egg producers amid soaring prices: Sources
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WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department is in the early stages of investigating the major egg producers over soaring egg prices, source familiar with the matter told ABC News
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Department investigators are looking into whether the major egg companies are sharing information about supply and pricing, possibly contributing to price increases, the sources said. Egg producers, including the industry's trade association, have said the soaring prices are due to the avian flu.
The investigation is being run out of the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department and won't necessarily lead to any legal action.
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Farm Action, a farm advocacy organization that has publicly called on officials to open an antitrust case, said in a statement on Friday citing sources at DOJ that the agency had started an investigation.
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"We applaud the Department of Justice's action to address the skyrocketing price of eggs," it said. "Every American has felt the financial pain caused by the power of the monopolistic egg industry.
"While avian flu is real, it is no excuse for the price being charged at the grocery store for one of the country's staples," it added. "While Farm Action's analysis demonstrates likely antitrust abuses by the dominant egg-producing corporations, the DOJ has the legal authority to take the deep dive into the industry that is required to get to the bottom of this abuse, and they have the power to bring justice on behalf of the American people."
Good on them. Hopefully something comes of it.
PS. WTF is wrong with this board? I've edited this 3 times and it still isn't right Ohwell
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Originally Posted by Back
https://www.longdom.org/open-access/...y-1099735.html
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Abstract
We investigate the possible laboratory origins of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype B3.13, currently affecting various animal species and causing sporadic human infections. The proximal origins may be the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) in Athens, Georgia, and the Erasmus medical center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Almost like if you create something and then force people to cull their entire stock of chickens the prices of eggs will go up. Instead of doing what farmers have done throughout history and letting the disease run its course and then breed the survivors who have stronger natural immunity.
This must just be a blue state thing. I have not had a single issue getting my usual organic free-range 2 dozen eggs at Costco. Always there, every time. Sure, the price spiked to $9.99 in January, but paid $8.49 last week. It was $6.99 before all this drama.
Just another symptom of blue state fear-mongering. Remember the toilet paper thing?
Yeah there has been no shortage of eggs in my local area too. The price has for sure gone up, it was $4.50/dozen a week ago, but there were plenty of eggs for everyone to buy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Furryrat
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick gave crazed answers on Meet the Press this morning. I doubt he'll still be Commerce Secretary by the end of this year. Among other crazy things, he said..
- "Biden just killing chickens, trying to worry about things. It's crazy the way eggs have gone up 200%. Donald Trump's going to bring the price of eggs down now."
- Trump will force Europeans to buy more agricultural products from the U.S., and that will, somehow, lower the cost of groceries in the U.S. Explain that to me.
- There will be no economic recessions while Trump is President. Somebody save the tape.
- Agriculture is an industry. How can the Commerce Secretary not know better?
Quote:
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right. You take me right to my next question. I want to play you something that President Trump said to me back in December. Take a listen.
[BEGIN TAPE]
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:
I won on groceries. It's a very simple word: groceries. Like, almost, you know, who uses the word? I started using the word, “the groceries.” When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they were double and triple the price over a short period of time. And I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down.
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
Mr. Secretary, can you be specific? When exactly can Americans expect to see those prices come “way down?”
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
Egg prices up 200% under Biden. Biden just killing chickens, trying to worry about things. It's crazy the way eggs have gone up 200%. Donald Trump's going to bring the price of eggs down now. Donald Trump's tariffs are – here's the idea. All these other countries, like India for instance, when Modi was in town, right? 1.4 billion people and they won't buy a bushel of our corn.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But–
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
Europe, always blocking our farmers. As our farmers can sell more and more overseas–
KRISTEN WELKER:
But–
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
– you're going to see the price of food in America–
KRISTEN WELKER:
When?
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
– come down. It's a volume thing.
KRISTEN WELKER:
When, Mr. Secretary?
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
Well, I think the deal starts –
KRISTEN WELKER:
Months?
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
–the deal starts April 2nd. The deal starts April 2nd of reciprocal tariffs. The president is going to negotiate country-by-country. He's going to drive down other countries' barriers, unleashing our farmers, our ranchers and our fishermen. They're going to explode in value and the prices of American produce, road crops, produce and fish are going to come down because our American industries are going to win around the world because finally, finally Donald Trump is behind them, protecting them. He's got their back and he's going to make them winners. And then all of America's going to be winners because these prices are coming down. And the process–
KRISTEN WELKER:
Alright.
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
–starts April 2nd.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Alright, Mr. Secretary, consumer sentiment is dropping, inflation has ticked up, major banks like J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs now say a recession in the next 12-months is becoming more likely. Should Americans brace for a recession?
SEC. HOWARD LUTNICK:
Absolutely not. Anybody who bets against Donald Trump. It's like the same people who thought Donald Trump wasn't a winner a year ago. Donald Trump is a winner. He's going to win for the American people. That's just the way it's going to be. There's going to be no recession in America. What there's going to be is global tariffs are going to come down because President Trump has said, “You want to charge us 100%? We're going to charge you 100%.” You know what they say? They say, “No, no, no, no, no, don't charge us 100%. We'll bring ours down.” We'll unleash America out to the world. Grow our economy in a way we've never grown before. You are going to see over the next two years the greatest set of growth coming from America as Americans. You saw it, 1.3 trillion of new investment coming into America that – think of all those jobs, and remember, each trillion of investment in America is 1% of growth GDP. So, Donald Trump is bringing growth to America. I would never bet on recession. No chance.
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Never understood this. Like, you can wipe your ass with just about anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Furryrat
REAL PC posters like 24 - 36 grit but my sensitive ass can't go lower than 100.
Pretty sure the experts have scienced it out and would be using your suggestion if it really worked. Unless you are the only one in the world who thought of it and didn't say anything until now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anebriated
USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg Prices
Found this last night when I was looking at the issue again. Good for USDA under this administration. Looks like they are going to implement some ideas I had early in this thread.Quote:
USDA’s Five-Pronged Approach to Address Avian FluInvest in Gold-Standard Biosecurity Measures for all U.S. Poultry Producers
- USDA will expand its highly successful Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments to producers across the nation, beginning with egg-layer facilities, to safeguard farms from the cause of 83% of HPAI cases: transmission from wild birds. These additional safety measures have proven to minimize flu cases; the approximately 150 facilities that follow these protocols have had only one outbreak.
- Biosecurity audits will be expanded. Free biosecurity audits will continue for all HPAI-affected farms. Shortcomings for HPAI-affected farms must be addressed to remain eligible for indemnification for future infections within this outbreak. Biosecurity audits will be encouraged and made available to surrounding, non-affected farms.
- USDA will deploy 20 trained epidemiologists as part of its increased biosecurity audits and Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments to provide actionable and timely advice to producers on how to reduce HPAI risk at their facilities. These experts will help improve current biosecurity measures to focus on protecting against spread through wild birds in addition to lateral spread.
- USDA will share up to 75% of the costs to fix the highest risk biosecurity concerns identified by the assessments and audits, with a total available investment of up to $500 million.
Increase Relief to Aid Farmers and Accelerate Repopulation
- APHIS will continue to indemnify producers whose flocks must be depopulated to control the further spread of HPAI.
- New programs are being explored to aid farmers to accelerate the rate of repopulation, including ways to simplify the approval process to speed recovery.
- Up to $400 million will be available to support these costs for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Remove Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens on the Chicken and Egg Industry to Further Innovation and Reduce Consumer Prices
- USDA is working alongside our partners at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to examine strategies to safely expand supply in the commercial market for eggs.
- USDA will minimize burdens on individual farmers and consumers who harvest homegrown eggs.
- USDA will work with farmers and scientists to develop innovative strategies to limit the extent of depopulations in HPAI outbreaks.
- USDA will educate consumers and Congress on the need to fix the problem of geographical price differences for eggs, such as in California, where recent regulatory burdens, in addition to avian flu, have resulted in the price of eggs being 60% higher than other regions of the country.
Explore Pathways toward Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Other Strategies for Protecting Egg Laying Chickens to Reduce Instances of Depopulation
- USDA will be hyper-focused on a targeted and thoughtful strategy for potential new generation vaccines, therapeutics, and other innovative solutions to minimize depopulation of egg laying chickens along with increased bio-surveillance and other innovative solutions targeted at egg laying chickens in and around outbreaks. Up to a $100 million investment will be available for innovation in this area.
- Importantly, USDA will work with trading partners to limit impacts to export trade markets from potential vaccination. Additionally, USDA will work alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the public health and safety of any such approaches include considerations of tradeoffs between public health and infectious disease strategy.
- USDA will solicit public input on solutions, and will involve Governors, State Departments of Agriculture, state veterinarians, and poultry and dairy farmers on vaccine and therapeutics strategy, logistics, and surveillance. USDA will immediately begin holding biweekly discussions on this and will also brief the public on its progress biweekly until further notice.
Consider Temporary Import-Export Options to Reduce Costs on Consumers and Evaluate International Best Practices
- USDA will explore options for temporarily increasing egg imports and decreasing exports, if applicable, to supplement the domestic supply, subject to safety reviews.
- USDA will evaluate international best practices in egg production and safety to determine any opportunities to increase domestic supply.
Ultimately the American taxpayer pays for it. Taking money out of taxes that we already paid does not hurt as much as taking more money at the point of sale but someone better watch the egg producers to avoid any fraud going on.