Bird flu culls send chicken prices soaring to record high

Chicken prices surged to the highest level in three decades, industry data showed Friday, as large numbers of birds were culled following the nationwide outbreak of avian influenza late last year.

Korea has culled more than 33 million chickens since the first reported case last November, more than double the previous record of 13.96 million chickens culled in 2014.

Producer prices rose 59.2 percent to 2,690 won ($2.30) per kilogram as of Monday from a year earlier, according to data by the Korea Broiler Council. The prices are the highest since 1987, when the council was founded. Consumer prices, meanwhile, reached 5,710 won per kilogram at major retailers Thursday, up 2.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation.

It will take about six months for the stabilization of chicken prices, a council official said, noting the time it takes for chicken farms to have their eggs hatched and birds raised for the market. YONHAP