The price of eggs has surpassed forecasts in the early months of 2025 in the United States. Although at the beginning of the year an increase in price of up to 20 percent was estimated, authorities now predict a 41 percent increase due to the spread of avian influenza in the country. To address this situation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a plan that includes an investment of one billion dollars to improve biosecurity on farms and work on a vaccine against avian influenza.
The announced investment adds to the two billion dollars allocated by the government to control the virus since its first outbreak in 2022. In the early weeks of the year, the price of eggs surged to an average of 4.95 dollars per dozen, primarily due to the culling of 166 million birds, mostly laying hens. The price is expected to continue rising by up to 41.1 percent by the end of 2025.
Farmers had taken measures since 2015 to protect birds from avian influenza, such as requiring workers to change clothes and shower before entering the henhouses, using separate equipment, and disinfecting all vehicles accessing farms. Despite this, more than 30 million birds have been culled in the first months of 2025.
To mitigate the effects of rising prices on consumers, the United States is negotiating the import of between 70 and 100 million eggs in the coming months. Although the virus spreads easily among wild birds, the Department of Agriculture is working to identify effective measures to help farmers prevent and detect outbreaks of avian influenza. Biosecurity assessments have been conducted on nearly 150 farms, with only one showing an outbreak after the review.
