The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday unveiled a $1 billion plan to curb the nation's largest bird flu outbreak in a decade in attempt to lower egg prices across the country.
The USDA described the plan as a "Five-Pronged Approach to Address Avian Flu," which includes efforts to expand biosecurity measures for all U.S. poultry producers — beginning with egg-laying facilities.
The USDA also wants to increase relief to aid farmers and ramp up bird repopulation, remove "unnecessary regulatory burdens" on chicken and egg producers, explore pathways toward vaccines or therapeutics, and look to temporarily increase imports and lower exports of eggs.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Scripps News that the Trump administration is already in talks with several countries about them exporting eggs to the U.S. And while she insisted that every option remains on the table, Rollins warned that consumers should not expect egg prices to come down anytime soon.
WATCH | U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with Scripps News on bird flu impacting egg prices
"I think it's important for people to realize that this is not gonna happen overnight," Rollins told Scripps News. "The price of eggs under Joe Biden went up 237%. Under Obama they were high, came back down under Trump deregulation, cost of inputs went down, went way back up under Joe Biden — not just avian flu, but really a host of factors. So it's just going to take us a little bit of time. I would say a couple months."
Meanwhile, the USDA's Food Price Outlook predicts egg prices will continue to surge in 2025, ending the year 41.1% higher than at the end of 2024. Approximately 18.8 million commercial egg layers were affected by the avian flu in January, the USDA reported.
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In the backdrop of this USDA effort to bring down prices is the Trump administration's effort to slash the federal workforce. Rollins said the cuts are not insignifcant, but explained that the Trump administration is being intentional, while also admitting when mistakes are made. She pointed to, for instance, the government recently letting go of workers focused on animal disease detection in particular.
This comes as a new memo to Trump administration agency heads went out Wednesday providing guidance on large-scale reductions, indicating plans need to be solidified by about mid-March.
