U.S. considers growing egg imports amid skyrocketing costs

The U.S. will look to import extra eggs because it responds to an ongoing outbreak of chicken flu that has egg costs surging greater than 50% from a yr in the past.

The federal authorities plans to buy eggs from different nations as a part of a five-pronged technique, backed by $1 billion in funding, to fight a pressure of avian influenza that hit in late 2021, the U.S. Division of Agriculture mentioned Wednesday. The plan consists of one other $500 million in funding for biosecurity measures, $400 million in aid for impacted farmers and $100 million for vaccine analysis, the USDA mentioned.

The USDA mentioned there isn’t a accredited vaccine within the U.S. in opposition to chicken flu, however the company will enhance analysis into immunization and ease laws to scale back egg prices. Million of birds have been culled since December amid infections amongst egg-laying hens from California to Iowa, inflicting grocery shops to restrict purchases and breakfast chains together with Waffle Home and Denny’s so as to add surcharges to orders with eggs. 

The worth of eggs jumped 15% final month and was up 53% in January from a yr in the past, Client Worth Index information reveals. 

The Trump administration can also be in talks to import about 70 million to 100 million eggs from different nations within the coming months, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins mentioned. However the tallies are a drop within the bucket in contrast with the almost 8 billion eggs produced within the U.S. in January alone, down 4% from a yr in the past, in keeping with the USDA.

“We’ll contemplate non permanent import choices to scale back egg prices within the brief time period,” Rollins wrote in an opinion piece printed Wednesday within the Wall Road Journal. 

She didn’t state which nations the U.S. would flip to for egg imports. Turkey plans to export 420 million eggs to the U.S. this yr, in keeping with the Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey. 

“To each household struggling purchase eggs: We hear you, we’re combating for you, and assistance is on the best way,” Rollins mentioned in a assertion on Wednesday.