Today’s piece is written by antitrust lawyer Basel Musharbash based on a report he researched for Farm Action. It’s the second part of an investigative series on the egg industry called “Hatching a Conspiracy.” Part one is here. “As most people in America know, egg prices have gone haywire. Shortages and high prices got a shout-out in last week’s State of the Union, and have prompted the Justice Department to investigate the industry for potential antitrust violations. But while there’s widespread anger in the face of high profits, there’s still little public understanding of how egg production actually works. So, I am writing this series, Hatching a Conspiracy, to describe the power dynamics in the industry. In part one, I offered a basic explanation of why a dozen eggs — which cost around 70-90 cents to produce — are now so pricey. The short story is that a small number of actors have secured chokepoints at key links in the egg supply chain, and are using them to keep egg production throttled even in the face of shortages and high prices — which in turn keeps the shortages and high prices going…”