Hong Kong (CNN) Japan lost so many chickens to bird flu, now running out of land to bury them.
Japan’s state broadcaster NHK reported Tuesday that 16 of the country’s 26 prefectures do not have enough land to properly dispose of hunted birds. All 26 reported experiencing a recent avian flu outbreak.
While local authorities and farms usually kill and bury animals to prevent further spread of the virus, land shortages are now holding back those efforts, according to NHK.
Japan has jumped on it Record outbreak In recent months, avian flu has put pressure on chicken supplies and pushed up egg prices.
More than 17 million chickens have been killed this season, the highest number on record, NHK reported Tuesday.
Japan earlier reported another bird flu crisis that killed nearly 9.9 million in fiscal year 2020, the latest record high.
A Report This month, Rabobank said global egg prices “reached historic highs” in the first quarter of 2023, citing the impact of avian flu across the country and higher chicken feed costs.
Between mid-2020 and mid-2022, global feed prices doubled, mainly due to: Russia’s invasion of UkraineIt said.
Now, global prices are “2.5 times higher than in the reference year of 2007, and up more than 100% from this time last year,” writes Nan-Dirk Mulder, senior analyst for animal protein at Rabobank.
The situation has inspired some people around the world Buy their own chickens Pantry heads to secure their own supplies.
In Japan, egg prices hit a 10-year high of 235 yen ($1.8) last month, according to Rabobank.
“Prices reached historic highs in many other markets, including Thailand, the Philippines, Israel, New Zealand, Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina,” it said.
Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force personnel visit a chicken farm to take preventive measures against avian flu in Chitose City, Hokkaido on March 28. An outbreak on the farm led to the slaughter of the chickens that day.
The situation is not expected to improve much this year.
While countries such as Japan and the US may already be experiencing price peaks, “we expect prices to remain relatively high throughout 2023, particularly in markets heavily impacted by avian flu, higher costs and regulatory changes,” Mulder wrote.
“Prices in other markets will fall slightly, but not to pre-2021 levels, as persistently high input costs continue to push prices up.”
Avian flu is caused by naturally occurring infections in wild waterfowl Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected birds can transmit the virus to other animals through their saliva and other bodily secretions.
