Prices of retail eggs in the U.S. fell from a record high that hit earlier this year, according to government data released on Tuesday.

The average price of more than a dozen Class A eggs fell to $5.12 after hitting a record $6.23 in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the monthly decline in egg prices since October 2024.

Overall, the average price of eggs of all sizes fell by 12.7%, the biggest monthly decline since March 1984.

Still, retail egg prices are still around historical highs, as the ongoing outbreak of bird flu wipes away herds of egg hens. The average price of the twelve big eggs in April was 79% higher than the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a year ago, when the average price was $2.86 per dozen.

David L. Ortega, professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University, said he believes U.S. egg prices will continue to fall in May and June. He said consumer demand tends to drop after Easter, which helps lower prices.

Ortega said the bird flu outbreaks in commercial poultry business have also decreased in recent weeks, helping to stabilize the country's egg supply.

According to the USDA, there were 59 bird flu outbreaks in commercial poultry business in February, and three cases occurred in April on March 12.

But Ortega said the virus is uncertain and if the outbreak expands again, prices may rise again.

Bird flu has killed more than 169 million birds since the beginning of 2022. At any time, only birds get sick, the entire flock will be killed to prevent the virus from spreading. Once the flock is slaughtered, it can take up to a year to clean the farm and keep the new birds until the egg era.

Even an outbreak of commercial facilities can affect supply, as a large number of egg farms may have millions of birds. The April outbreak at two farms in Ohio and South Dakota suffered from more than 927,000 egg hens.

Reducing egg prices has always been a special focus for President Donald Trump. In February, the USDA said it would invest $1 billion to help farmers improve their biosecurity measures to fight bird flu.

The United States has also increased imports of eggs from South Korea, Türkiye, Brazil and other countries. According to Kevin Bergquist, division manager of Wells Fargo Agri Food Institute, the number of egg and egg products imports rose 77.5% in the first three months of the year, compared with the same period of the year.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division also investigates Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg producer in the U.S., which supplies about 20% of eggs in the U.S. Cal-Maine confirmed the investigation in early April.

Ridgeland, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine said its net income exceeded doubled to $508.5 million in the latest quarter ended March 1.