U.S. egg prices have recently hit record highs.
At the beginning of March, the average price of a dozen big white eggs surged to $8.64 (£6.17), knocking on a long-term average of $2 (£1.54) on four legs.
Egg smuggling has increased since prices rose, and other countries have been called to increase exports, and the US Department of Justice has launched an investigation.
There’s everything you need to know about how America has been scrambling for eggs and why.
Bird flu
One of the main reasons behind the price rise is the outbreak of avian flu, also known as avian flu, which the US has been working on since 2022.
This year alone, one person has been killed and farmers have been forced to massacre more than 30 million egg-laying birds – partially down to federal policies requiring farmers to kill the entire flock whenever a bird gets sick.
More than 166 million birds have died since the outbreak began three years ago.
File Photo: AP
Avian influenza is an infectious flu that spreads among birds. There are many different strains, and H5N1 is the main strain that influenced the US.
The H7N9 strain was also detected on a chicken farm in Mississippi on March 13, according to the Paris-based World Animal Health Organization.
The World Health Organization said 616 people infected with H7N9 worldwide have been infected worldwide, with more than a third of the total deaths of 1,568 cases since it was first detected in 2013.
The main symptoms of avian flu include high temperatures, painful muscles, headaches and cough.
As of March 7, there had been no major outbreaks of avian flu in the United States for two weeks, the Department of Agriculture said.
Increase in demand, increase in prices
As the threat of avian flu rose, demand for eggs also increased, and prices rose.
At the beginning of the year, eggs recorded $4.95 (3.86 pounds) per dozen, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Customers who buy eggs at Costco are facing limits. Photo: AP
Prices were even higher in March as Sky News’ US partner NBC reported a peak of $8.64. Reuters said several cities are charging $10 (£7.71) for a dozen eggs.
To address the rising costs, some restaurants, such as Denny and the Waffle House chain, added an extra charge to the eggs on their menu.
According to NBC, overall food shops cost accelerated after a previous dramatic drop in prices from levels seen in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and the post-lockdown period.
After a surge for much of the year, egg prices eventually began to decline in the US towards the end of last week. NBC reported on March 13 that it fell to $4.90 (£3).
President Donald Trump praised the agricultural secretary for doing a “good job” in lowering prices, claiming that prices fell “35% half last week” during his speech to the Justice Department.
The decline is on consumers who buy fewer eggs, but prices remain significantly higher than average and pre-Covid prices.
Photo: AP
Elevated egg smuggling
As egg prices rose in the US, prices were relatively low in neighboring Mexico, and efforts to smuggle them across borders increased.
The Wall Street Journal says that so-called egg interceptions have increased by 36% nationwide.
San Diego has earned its biggest spike, up 158% compared to last year.
An illegal egg seized by US Border Forces. Photo: US Customs and Border Security
“That’s a difference in price. Prices are like a third of what they are in the US,” CBP spokesman Roger Meier told the Journal, adding an El Paso agent to meet 90 egg importers since January.
The CBP warned travelers to declare all produce to officers when entering the country, and for failing to do so, they were fined up to $10,000 (£7,700).
Police were confused in February after theft of 100,000 eggs from a Pennsylvania truck.
Eggs amount to around $40,000 (£30,000), according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The forces described the crime as “arguably unique” as theft at the time, saying theft could be linked to rising prices.
Photo: US Customs and Border Security
Biden is responsible, Trump says
In a speech to Congress in early March, Trump denounced his predecessor, Joe Biden, of a surge in egg prices.
“Joe Biden makes the price of eggs out of control, especially the price of eggs — the price of eggs is out of control. We’re working hard to get it back,” Trump insisted.
Elon Musk uses social media platform X to take Biden even more accountable, writing, “There was an insane massacre of 150 million egg-selling chickens ordered by the Biden administration.”
In fact, millions of egg-selling chickens have already been killed since Trump took office.
Rollins later announced a $1 billion plan (£771 million) to combat the avian flu. This will help farmers strengthen biosecurity measures and support research into the development of vaccines for affected birds.
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The Justice Department is reportedly launched an investigation into whether egg producers conspired to raise prices.
The department’s investigation is said to be in the early stages, and is considering whether producers are holding supply down to increase costs, the Wall Street Journal first reported on March 7 – claimed producers refused.
The department has not yet officially commented on the investigation.
Import plea
To help increase demand, the USDA asked whether eggs could be exported to Denmark and other European countries.
In a letter to the Danish Egg Society in late February, authorities asked: “Are there any estimates of the number of eggs that can be fed to the US?”
A spokesperson for the Danish association said it requested details on the terms of such an agreement, emphasizing that egg exports to the United States are challenging due to regulations on hygiene and other factors.
The petitions to European countries came after Turkey said in February that it began exporting about 15,000 tonnes of eggs to the US.
Exports from Brazil also rose 57.5% last month, Brazil’s Animal Protein Society said 2,527 tons of eggs had been shipped in February, compared to 1,604 in the same period last year.
Could Easter cause another rise?
Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Commission, warns that increased demand for eggs over Easter could again cause a temporary rise in prices.
If prices are high, this is the third year in a row that US consumers have landed on April 20th this year and have faced prices rise ahead of Passover, which begins the evening of April 12th.
Rollins also warned last week that prices could be “inch-backed” because Easter season is always “highest price for eggs.”
Metz explained that egg farmers were closely watching the spring migration of wild birds and that they were the main cause of the spread of avian flu, “substantially poses a major threat to egg-soaking flocks.”
