The USDA has announced a new plan to combat the avian flu.
The $1 billion plan includes financial aid for poultry farmers and funding for new research for treatments and vaccines. In the short term, agents aim to increase egg imports to meet demand.
“American farmers need bailouts, and American consumers need affordable food,” Trump’s farming secretary Brook Rollins wrote to the editor of the Wall Street Journal. “To all families struggling to buy eggs: we hear you, we are fighting for you, and help is approaching.”

But how bad the egg crisis is, what are the details of Trump’s plans to ease prices, and when can consumers get bailouts?
How much does egg cost in the US?
On average, a dozen costs around $4.95.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the highest ever.
Prices are even higher in some big cities, reaching between $8 and $10 per dozen in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.
Price hikes have transformed daily breakfast staples into dul for many consumers. Popular breakfast chains like Denny and Waffle House have added an extra charge for egg dishes. “A simple egg sandwich is like a luxury,” John Harris, a Chicago grocery store, told Reuters.

Why are the prices so high?
Spikes are primarily due to an increase in cases of H5N1 avian influenza in US poultry farms. Since February 2022, the virus has taken over all 50 states and Puerto Rico, crashing into more than 1,600 herds, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Testing Service.
To prevent further spread, the entire herd is culled if a virus is detected. More than 160 million birds have died during the crisis. This has crippled commercial farms of 30 million this year and lead to a lack of major eggs.
“If there’s no egg-laying birds… there’s a shortage of supply, which leads to higher prices due to the dynamics of supply and demand,” explained Jada Thompson, a poultry expert at the University of Arkansas.
Earlier this year, the number of chickens sold in the US was 304 million, down 11% from five years ago, according to the USDA.
What steps did former President Joe Biden take?
After its revival in 2022, Biden’s administration spent about $1.5 billion in battle on spreading H5N1. In doing so, they followed years of US government policies to culing the affected poultry groups.
With a decline in chicken numbers, egg prices have steadily risen during Biden’s tenure – from $1.60 in February 2021 to $4.10 in December 2024. Prices have continued to rise since then, reaching $4.95 this week.
Additionally, Biden has allocated more than $600 million to stop the virus from spreading to humans, including research into disease surveillance, preparation for treatment, treatment, diagnosis and vaccine innovation.
What’s the difference with Trump’s plans?
Trump administration officials accused Biden of causing an egg price hike due to the policy’s ul, but the USDA said it would continue with the same approach.
“At this point there are no expected changes to our current stamping out policy,” said Rosemary Syford, veterinary director of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Testing Services on Wednesday.
However, the agency has announced a $1 billion planned package to tackle egg shortages from various angles.
In a press release Wednesday, the USDA said it would spend $500 million to increase farm biosecurity protocols that prevent poultry from catching H5N1 from wild birds. He also said he would invest $100 million to develop new vaccines, treatments and solutions to protect chickens from avian flu, reduce the need to cull them, and improve surveillance during the outbreak.
Additionally, the USDA says it will look at ways to remove regulations in the industry that are burdened with increasing prices, including backyard poultry keepers, and how to temporarily import eggs.
Where can the US get more eggs?
The US produces the majority of eggs it consumes. However, domestic prices are at the highest ever, so we are now trying to import more.
According to Turkiye, one of the countries it turking is Turkiye.
However, this is only a small portion of the US total demand, and according to USDA figures, it amounts to less than half of the 100 billion eggs produced annually until November 2024.
The US government has not identified other countries that want to receive more eggs, but has historically received several imports from Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and China.
As of 2023, the Netherlands was the world’s largest egg exporter, with over $1 billion sold overseas, mainly to Germany, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. Turkiye ranks fifth in its $441 million export. Most of the egg exports were sent to the bay.
What do industry experts say?
Trump’s multifaceted plans to deal with the egg crisis have been actively received by industry trade associations.
United Egg Producers, who represent companies that produce more than 90% of US eggs, thanked Trump for “stepping up to take action.”
“President Trump and USDA Director Brook Rollins demonstrated their commitment to working with American egg farmers to deal with the devastation of HPAI. [avian influenza] Group President Chad Gregory said in a statement shared with X about the US egg industry by promoting resources and expertise where they are most needed.
The UEP thanked President Trump and Secretary Rollins and thanked them for their commitment to combating the devastating effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza #HPAI on the US #eggfarmers with this historic $1 billion investment.
Read this statement on important initiative. @usda @secrollins pic.twitter.com/hgb4tvsole
– United Egg Producer (UEP) (@unitedeggprod) February 26, 2025
However, some experts are pushing for a faster rollout of vaccines for chickens. This currently takes time to unintentionally damage the entire poultry market. That’s because some foreign buyers don’t take poultry from countries vaccinating H5N1, and they fear that the vaccine will simply hide the virus’s growth.
“We’ve seen a lot of people who have had a lot of trouble with their health,” said Gregory Gray, professor of medical branch at the University of Texas.
Will egg prices fall or will they continue to rise?
The USDA project will see egg prices skyrocketing by another 41% this year.
However, Rollins believes that within a year or two, he will return from $1.30 per dozen observed during Trump’s first period from 2017 to 2021 to $2.
At a press conference on February 24, she said, “The consumer’s final outcome is… we’ll fix it.
“We’re cutting out work for us,” she admitted.