US: Broiler Market Outlook Week 22, June 2, 2025

Average prices for chicken cuts showed growth against the backdrop of an increase in the cost of all types of products, with the exception of chicken legs and minced MEAT.

Bird Flu Slows Down: The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects a quiet summer for the poultry sector. Chief Veterinarian Rosemary Sifford called the end of the year the “ultimate” deadline to control the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The virus has killed more than 173 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds in the United States since 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and infected more than 1,000 dairy herds since 2024. Seventy people in the U.S. have also tested positive since 2024, mostly farm workers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For U.S. poultry, the summer should be “quiet” for infections, as outbreaks have declined in recent weeks, Sifford said. Wild birds can transmit the virus to domestic flocks, which are then culled to contain outbreaks. “We’re not seeing any introductions from wild birds, so we’re expecting a quiet summer,” Sifford said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revised down its 2025 food price forecast, bringing some relief to consumers facing inflation fatigue. The agency now projects prices for all foods to rise 2.9%, up from 3.5% in April, putting overall food inflation in line with the 20-year average.

Egg prices are forecast to be high but declining. Retail egg prices fell 10.5% from March to April, but remain 49.3% higher than a year ago. The USDA attributes this to earlier spikes due to supply disruptions caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The new +39.2% forecast for 2025 represents a sharp slowdown from the +57.6% forecast in March, although eggs remain the fastest-growing food item in percentage terms.

Dynamics of prices and sales volumes of broilers

Average weighted price of broilers by region

Region

Average weighted price, cents/lb

Sales volume (thousand pounds)

Week 21

Week 22

Growth per week,%

Week 21

Week 22

Growth per week,%

Oriental

131.78

132.98

0.9%

5 146

4 436

-13.8%

Central

126.43

128.48

1.6%

2 727

2 840

4.1%

West

148.36

149.27

0.6%

3 055

2 740

-10.3%

Dynamics of prices for chicken cuttings

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