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The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been patrolling the US borders to monitor egg smuggling. There has been a rise in egg smuggling cases amid rising prices.
There has been a major rise in egg prices in the US in recent months due to a shortage of supply. This is due to the effect of bird flu, which has led to the death of millions of egg-producing birds. As per Farm Bureau economist Bernt Nelson, around 43 million birds have died this year so far.
As per a report from the University of Minnesota, over 156 million birds have been lost since 2022 due to this bird flu outbreak. This has led to an increase in egg prices across the nation.
Increased cases of egg smuggling amid rising prices
As per the CBP, there were 90 cases of egg smuggling into the US from the Mexico border in January 2025. Since October 2024, there has been a 29 percent rise in cases of egg smuggling, along with other banned produce like chicken, vegetables, and more.
Bringing in eggs, and other produce is banned, as explained by CBP in a statement that read:
“Importation of raw/fresh eggs into the United States is generally prohibited due to concerns about diseases such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and Virulent Newcastle disease (ND). Travelers are prohibited from bringing in fresh eggs, raw chicken, unprocessed avian products, and live birds into the United States.”
CBP's Director of Field Operations in San Diego, Sidney Aki, reported that the agency “has noticed an increase in the number of eggs intercepted at our ports of entry.”
“As a reminder, raw eggs are prohibited entry from Mexico into the U.S.,” Aki added. “CBP encourages travelers to declare all agriculture items to avoid penalties.”
The penalty for egg smuggling could reach up to $10,000 for commercial entities. For non-commercial entities, it could go as high as $1,000. In January 2025, CBP issued penalties worth $4,000.
US to import eggs from Turkiye amidst shortage
Amidst this crisis, the United States will be importing eggs from Turkiye until July. They will import around 15,000 tonnes of eggs for a few months to help ease the shortage of supply.
Turkiye's Egg Producers Central Union Chairman, Ibrahim Afyon, said about the decision (via Reuters):
"The export will take place through our member companies with the required authorizations, while two firms will coordinate the process. A total of 15,000 tonnes of eggs- equivalent to 700 containers - will be shipped."
Meanwhile, Chad Gregory, CEO of United Egg Producers (the organization represents US egg farmers), said:
"We support the temporary import of egg products to help ease the strain on the U.S. egg supply."
Turkiye is one of the Top 10 egg exporters in the world.
Meanwhile, amidst this crisis, many retailers in the US have introduced limits to egg sales for each customer per day. Costco has a limit of three packages per day for each customer. Trader Joe's has a limit of one dozen per day. Sam's Club has a limit of two packages per day while Walmart has a two-carton limit.
Even some food outlets like Waffle House and Denny's have introduced a surge charge for egg items on their menus. They have confirmed that this is a temporary charge and will reduce once the situation gets back to normal.
