U.S. Will Import More Eggs to Keep Prices Down

The U.S. will increase its egg importation from Turkey, South Korea and another unnamed country to try to hold down prices, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has said.

Rollins said Turkey and South Korea "have both confirmed they will be increasing breaker egg" exports to the U.S., WCSI reported.

She also said her department had a conversation on Thursday "regarding another country who's ready to import a significant amount of eggs in the short term" into the U.S. Rollins did not specify the country.

"We continue to work that issue very, very aggressively—again, just for the short term, to keep getting the price of eggs down," she said.

Jørgen Nyberg Larsen, the sector manager for Danish Eggs, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had reached out to several nations, including Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Italy.

Why It Matters

The high price of eggs has become a totemic issue in politics, symbolizing the struggles of ordinary Americans against years of high inflation. Avian flu has hit egg production particularly hard, affecting supply, and more federal money is being used to tackle the virus.

What To Know

In February, the USDA unveiled a $1 billion, five-point plan to tackle the price of eggs.

This involved an "additional $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million in financial relief for affected farmers, $100 million for vaccine research, action to reduce regulatory burdens, and exploring temporary import options," the agency said.

Rollins warned that the Easter season would see demand for eggs rise, so prices could spike. However, the USDA said the broader downward trend in egg prices would likely continue.

The department said wholesale egg prices had dropped almost 50 percent since late last year, and the New York wholesale egg price, which peaked at $8.53 per dozen, had steadily declined to $4.08 as of March 19.

A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (H5N1) is at the root of the supply crisis. The virus led to the culling of 13.2 million commercial egg-laying hens in December alone, with total bird losses nearing 145 million since the outbreak began in 2022.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday: "Egg prices are WAY DOWN from the Biden inspired prices if just a few weeks ago. 'Groceries' and Gasoline are down, also. Now, if the Fed would do the right thing and lower interest rates, that would be great!!!"

Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday: "What are the Administration and Republicans doing about rising egg prices and the lack of eggs? NOTHING. In fact, the Administration is making things worse by firing inspectors and scientists working on bird flu."