Egg Prices Near 4,000 Won for 10-Pack... Pork and Korean Beef Also See Increases

Livestock Product Prices Surge
Amid Spread of Avian Influenza and African Swine Fever

The price of a pack of 10 large eggs is nearing 4,000 won, as highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) and African swine fever (ASF) have been spreading for several months, causing a sharp surge in livestock product prices.

According to the Livestock Product Distribution Information from the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation on March 16, the average retail price of 10 large eggs stood at 3,898 won as of the previous day. This means the price per egg is almost 389 won, approaching 400 won. On the same day, the average price for a pack of 30 large eggs reached 6,738 won, a 1.3% increase over the past week.

A customer is purchasing eggs at a large supermarket in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

The jump in egg prices is largely attributed to a decline in egg production caused by the prolonged outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza over the past six months. During the 2025–2026 winter season, more than 9.8 million laying hens were culled due to avian influenza, nearly reaching 10 million. This figure is double the number from a year ago (4.83 million) and about four times higher than two to three years ago.

This winter, there have been 56 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, far surpassing the 32 cases during 2022–2023 and the 49 cases from last year through 2024. Although the government has expanded discount support and increased imports of fresh eggs from the United States to stabilize egg prices, experts note that the rising number of culled birds limits the effectiveness of these price control measures.

The Agricultural Outlook Center at the Korea Rural Economic Institute forecast that the reduction in the number of chickens due to expanded culling will lead to a 5.8% drop in the average daily egg production this month, to 47.54 million eggs, compared to last year. The farm gate price for a pack of large eggs is expected to be around 1,800 won, up about 13% year-on-year.

Chicken meat prices are also on the rise. Last week, the retail price of broiler chicken was 6,235 won per kilogram, 7.6% higher than the same period last year. The Agricultural Outlook Center projected that the farm gate price for broiler chicken this month will be around 2,200 won per kilogram, up 12.6% from last year (1,953 won per kilogram), adding that the supply and demand situation could fluctuate depending on the occurrence and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Pork prices continue to climb due to the spread of African swine fever. This year, there have been 22 cases of African swine fever, marking an all-time high. In the second week of this month, the retail price of pork belly was 2,611 won per 100 grams and pork shoulder was 2,440 won per 100 grams, representing increases of 3.1% and 4.9%, respectively, compared to a year earlier.

Prices for Korean beef have also risen significantly compared to last year. In the second week of this month, tenderloin (15,616 won per 100 grams) and sirloin (12,296 won per 100 grams) increased by 14.0% and 17.4%, respectively, while brisket (7,118 won per 100 grams) surged by 20.5%.

Meanwhile, the livestock product price index compiled by Statistics Korea last month jumped 6% year-on-year. Pork (up 7.3%) and eggs (up 6.7%) saw especially sharp increases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.