Bird flu causes an egg problem in the US
Since 2022, the United States (US) has had a bird flu problem. This disease has killed over 166 million wild and farm birds. In 2025, over 30 million hens died.
Because of this, there are not enough eggs in the US. When there are fewer eggs but many people want them, prices go up. Before bird flu, a dozen eggs cost about $2. Now, in some US states, a dozen eggs cost as much as $10.
In some states, shops are only letting people buy a few eggs at a time. Some people are going to neighbouring countries like Mexico to buy eggs because they still cost $2 there.
What is the US doing to fix this?
The US asked European countries to sell them eggs. But many European countries, like Poland, Hungary, and France, are also suffering from the bird flu. They do not have extra eggs to sell.
The US also has strict import rules. These rules do not allow eggs from countries with bird flu. President Trump’s new taxes on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico makes it harder to bring eggs from these countries.
But Turkey will sell 420 million eggs to the US this year. South Korea will also send eggs to help.
Will these eggs help the US?
Eggs from other countries will help the US for a short time. This will make prices lower. It will also give US farmers time to raise new hens. It takes 4 to 5 months to raise hens and some more time to make enough eggs again.
However, the US government says these egg imports are only a short-term solution. They want to protect US farmers' businesses in the long run.
