U.S. border egg seizures up nearly 40% as prices soar

With eggs getting more and more expensive in the United States, American border agents are scrambling to stop egg smuggling from Canada and Mexico.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, egg seizures are up nearly 40 per cent compared to the same time last year.

The majority of travellers caught with eggs are those who had declared them, the CBP says. However, those who don’t declare the items as they travel across the border risk a $300 fine.

Due to diseases like avian flu, it’s illegal to bring egg products into the U.S.

Tammara Soma, Simon Fraser University’s food system lab director, says egg rationing in the U.S. is likely to be what’s driving the trend.

“In the U.S. in particular, they have been rationing eggs, where people can only buy, say one or two [cartons]. They really restrict the limits. We don’t have that limitation right now in Canada,” she told 1130 NewsRadio.

“Many stores have resorted to limiting the number of purchases as well, and I think that impacts people’s decisions.”

Soma adds that people can “get desperate.”

“I am not sure if it’s just individuals, or if it is also businesses, like small businesses, bakeries and others,” she explained.

The egg seizures come as the U.S. Agriculture Department predicts record egg prices could soar more than 40 per cent in 2025.

The main reason egg prices have climbed in the U.S. — hitting an all-time average high of $4.95 USD per dozen this month — is that more than 166 million birds have been slaughtered to limit the avian flu virus’ spread when cases are found. Most were egg-laying chickens.

Just since the start of the year, more than 30 million egg layers have been killed.

The average prices conceal just how bad the situation is, with consumers paying more than a dollar per egg — over $12 a dozen — in some places in the U.S.

Prices have more than doubled since before the outbreak began, costing consumers at least $1.4 billion last year, according to an estimate by agricultural economists at the University of Arkansas. Restaurants like Denny’s and Waffle House started adding surcharges to egg dishes.