Inflation and outbreaks of bird flu have led to a surge in egg prices in the U.S. in recent months, indicating an increase in egg smuggling at the southern border.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 16th that “the number of smuggling cases of eggs and poultry products that have not been quarantined by authorities at border checkpoints is increasing rapidly,” adding that “it is one of the most popular black market items.”
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), more than 3,700 cases of poultry and related products have been seized since October last year. The WSJ added that the number is enormous compared to 352 cases of confiscation of drugs such as fentanyl during the same period.
According to CBP, eggs seized from October to last month increased 36% year-on-year, with San Diego recording the largest increase of 158%.
Crimes involving eggs have soared in the U.S. recently. In Pennsylvania, 100,000 eggs that were in a transport truck were stolen. 540 eggs have disappeared from a cafe in Seattle’s Luna Park.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the price of eggs has doubled in a year and is expected to rise another 41 percent this year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in January that the average price of 12 eggs is $4.95 and $5.90 this month.
The price of eggs has also become a political issue. President Donald Trump was also asked about the price of eggs at various news conferences between Russia and Ukraine.
“They say it’s a small thing, but it’s never a small thing for people who like eggs and don’t have a lot of money,” Trump said at a press conference after meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutter on the 13th. “Egg prices have fallen 25% in the past two weeks. We inherited this problem from the previous administration.” He also said on the 14th that “egg prices have fallen 35% in the past week and a half.”
However, according to The Sunday Times, a Sunday edition of The Times, egg prices have increased by about 20 percent since Trump took office. Some Democrats are calling for an investigation into the soaring prices of eggs. Alvaro Bedoya, a member of the Federal Trade Commission, also called for an investigation into anti-competitive practices such as monopoly.
Brian Albrecht, chief economist at the Minnesota Center for International Law and Economy, said the main cause of the surge in egg prices is obvious. “The outbreak of bird flu caused a mass killing of poultry,” he said.
“We have slaughtered 15% of the chicken population that can lay eggs,” Albrecht said. “This is similar to when egg prices soared in 2015 and 2023. The following year, as we recovered the numbers, prices fell.”
“U.S. prices are still high, although much lower than during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, adding: “We can’t predict how long anything will last, just as tariffs change every day.
The Times predicted that illegal smuggling of cheap eggs from Mexico will increase in the future due to the instability of egg prices in the U.S. The price of Mexican eggs is one-third that of the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is banning the import of eggs that have not gone through official import channels for quarantine reasons.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
