Nationwide economic strain persists from the virus that has wiped out nearly 170 million chickens, turkeys and other birds since early 2022. Grocery shoppers peruse thinly stocked shelves, restaurants have raised menu prices, and wholesale egg prices surged 53.6% in February before easing a bit in March.
The egg shortage has fueled food inflation even as Trump’s trade disputes have threatened to disrupt supply chains and raise costs for fresh produce and other goods.In February, the administration announced a $1 billion plan to lower egg prices, which includes helping farmers prevent the spread of the virus and researching vaccine options.
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The Trump administration is also promoting imports from countries such as Turkey, Brazil and South Korea that typically send few eggs to the US, and has asked Europe to send more.
US egg imports from Brazil in February increased by 93% from a year earlier, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association said.
The US Food and Drug Administration told Reuters it is reviewing a petition from the National Chicken Council to allow sale for human consumption of eggs laid by chickens that the council’s members raise for meat.
Currently, broiler chicken producers destroy millions of those eggs because they lack sufficient refrigeration to meet an FDA food-safety requirement.
In 2023, the FDA denied a similar request from the council, citing salmonella risk. The chicken industry hopes the agency will now support the effort as aligned with Trump’s goal of slashing unnecessary regulations, said Ashley Peterson, the council’s senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs.
”We need more yolks for folks,” said U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, who is co-sponsoring a bill to allow the eggs to be used in food products.
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