The United States will import hundreds of millions of eggs from Türkiye and South Korea to address a worsening egg shortage caused by an avian influenza outbreak and supply chain disruptions, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollinsannounced Friday.
“We are talking in the hundreds of millions of eggs for the short term. (This is) significant enough to help continue to bring the prices down for right now,” Rollins said during a White House press briefing.
The imports are part of a five-point plan introduced in early March to address the crisis, which has led to a 15.2% surge in egg prices in January 2025—the largest monthly increase since June 2015. Over the last five years, egg prices have jumped 230%, according to Labor Department data.
The U.S. is also in talks with other countries to secure additional egg imports. Türkiye has already committed to exporting 15,000 tons of eggs by June 2025 as a short-term measure.
Rollins stressed the importance of biosecurity to control the avian flu outbreak, which has devastated poultry populations for nearly two years. The government is also working to repopulate egg-laying hens, a process the Trump administration claims was delayed by past regulatory policies.
Long-term solutions include a $1 billion investment aimed at stabilizing the egg market and preventing future outbreaks. “This is a pretty big, massive plan,” Rollins said, expressing confidence in its effectiveness.