[경제]AI sunk disposal range reduced to 1km…Egg prices likely to continue rising

[앵커]

The quarantine authorities decided to reduce the targets for burial of poultry to within 1 km of the farms where the highly pathogenic avian influenza and AI momentum declined.

It has said that it will manage the supply of eggs through additional imports of foreign eggs, but it is expected that the price of eggs will continue to rise for the time being.

Reporter Cha Yoo-jeong reports.

[기자]

The highly pathogenic avian influenza and AI, which were struggling this winter, have subsided a lot.

In the last month, more than 40 AI cases occurred in farms, but this month, only a dozen cases, from 1.4 cases per day to 0.83 cases.

Winter migratory birds, the main culprit for carrying AI, are also slowly moving north.

The quarantine authorities, which judged that the spread of AI had somewhat hindered, decided to temporarily ease the scope of burial disposal, which was carried out as a preventive measure, for two weeks.

In the past, when AI occurs in farms,’all poultry within a radius of 3 km’ was disposed of, but the target for disposal is reduced to’same species as poultry within a radius of 1 km’.

[박병홍 / 식품산업정책실장 : 추후 연장 여부는 가금농장 발생 상황 등에 대한 재평가를 거쳐 결정하고 2주가 경과 하기 전이라도 확산 우려가 있을 경우 조정안을 재검토할 방침입니다.]

However, we plan to focus on early detection of AI by strengthening detailed inspections and shortening inspection cycles for laying hens from once a month to once every other week.

The plan is to expand supply capacity by continuing to import eggs for the high price of eggs.

After importing 20 million fresh eggs by the Lunar New Year, we plan to import 24 million more by the end of this month and continue to promote discount sales at the mart.

Despite the government’s strengthening response, there are many prospects that the rise in egg prices will continue for some time.

The number of imported columns by the end of this month is only 6% of the average monthly consumption in Korea.

It is observed that it will take more than six months to raise chicks to produce eggs, and it will be difficult to hold the pressure to increase prices due to the surge in sunk disposal in the short term.

[이동훈 / 한국물가정보 연구원 : 알을 생산할 목적으로 길러지는 산란계는 사육 기간이 반년 정도로 길기에 달걀 파동은 이어질 것 같습니다.]

The retail price of the 30-piece special item was 7,400 won as of the 10th, up 43% from a year ago.

This is YTN Cha Yoo-jeong.

[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]