The US Is Importing A Huge Amount Of Eggs From Turkey Due To Bird Flu
Bird flu is ravaging the domestic egg industry. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, over 123 million egg-laying hens have been lost to the disease since February 2022. The significant loss of birds, fueled by the safety practice of culling entire flocks when one infection is discovered, has driven the price of eggs to record highs.
In response, American businesses are looking abroad for alternative import markets and have entered negotiations with Turkish companies. The two groups have instituted an agreement for the U.S. to import a total of approximately 15,000 metric tons (or 16,500 U.S. tons) of eggs from Turkish egg producers. The shipments, which began in February, are expected to continue until some time in July.
Turkish businesses are projected to earn about $26 million in export revenue from the deal. American consumers can hopefully see some price tag relief — or at least more reliable stocks of eggs at grocery stores.
Why the US is importing thousands of tons of Turkish eggs
The United States is a major egg exporter and generally relies on its own supply for domestic consumption. However, importing eggs is nothing new, as a small fraction of the U.S. egg supply comes from foreign sources. And Turkey is one of the top 10 global egg exporters — along with the United States.
With restaurants like Waffle House adding egg surcharges, nationwide grocery stores limiting egg purchases, and even a notable egg heist, the domestic egg industry acknowledges the need for outside help. The CEO of United Egg Producers, a cooperative representing U.S. farms, told Reuters that "we support the temporary import of egg products to help ease the strain on the U.S. egg supply."
Despite the devastation bird flu has brought to American farms, it is not a global pandemic, and other countries' egg industries are significantly less affected. This includes Turkey, which saw its first confirmed poultry outbreak of bird flu in over a year last November. This is in sharp contrast to the U.S., where hundreds of millions of birds have died or been culled from over 970 flocks in 17 states.