Story by Douglas Whitbread
Experts have crushed Donald Trump’s plans to import up to 100 million eggs as a nationwide shortage is set to send prices soaring 41%.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins outlined a new ‘five-part’ strategy last week to grapple with the crisis, caused by the ongoing bird flu outbreak. The 1 billion dollar scheme included a proposal to ‘temporarily increase egg imports and decrease exports’ to help with demand. Rollins later said she hoped the government could bring 70 million to 100 million extra eggs into the country.
Trump applauded Rollins’ action plan during his speech to Congress yesterday, as some residents face paying over $12 per dozen eggs. He admitted: “The egg prices, out of control. And we’re working hard to get it back down. Secretary, do a good job on that — you inherited a total mess from the previous administration.”
However, experts have been less glowing in their assessments that the country could solve its shortfall by simply importing more of the produce. While Trump’s stinging tariffs on its nearest neighbors, Mexico and Canada, could also affect their willingness to help the U.S. out of the crisis.
Bruce Babcock, an agricultural economist and professor at the University of California, Riverside, said the plan to import millions of eggs would struggle to work in practice. He explained: “If we import enough eggs to materially lower prices, then the country we will import from will have materially higher prices which reduces the incentive for the exporting country to export to us.
“If we wait until other countries can expand egg production to export to us, it is likely that supply will have recovered in the US that such exports will no longer be profitable. The US has lower cost feed than almost any other country, which makes the US a natural exporter of eggs, not an importer.”
Karyn Rispoli, a market analyst and price reporter currently serving as the Managing Editor of Expana’s Egg Division, said the government's plan to combat bird flu was a “step in the right direction.” But she agreed that the plan to import eggs was not without problems and was “unlikely to be a game-changer”.
Karyn said: “The plan to import eggs from abroad is a short-term solution to address supply constraints, but it comes with challenges. Imported eggs face logistical and regulatory hurdles, and they may not be a cost-effective or seamless substitute for domestic production.
“While imports can help stabilize availability, they are unlikely to be a game-changer in terms of significantly lowering prices or ensuring long-term market stability. Strengthening domestic production through effective disease control and preventive measures will ultimately have a greater impact on market conditions.”
The U.S. Agriculture Department has predicted that record egg prices could soar more than 40% in 2025. Before the new action plan, the government had spent $2bn on the bird flu outbreak since its emergence in 2022. The main reason egg prices have climbed is that more than 166 million birds have been slaughtered to limit the virus’ spread when cases are found. Most were egg-laying chickens. Just since the start of the year, more than 30 million egg layers have been killed.
Many of Donald Trump’s critics have slammed his approach to tackling the crisis as egg prices spiked to a record average of $4.95 per dozen nationwide last month. “Donald Trump promised to lower food prices on ‘Day One’, but with egg prices skyrocketing out of control, he fired the workers charged with containing bird flu. Working families need relief now,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement.
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