As egg prices soar to record highs in the U.S., Customs and Border Protection is catching more people crossing the northern border with prohibited Canadian eggs in tow.
Because of the ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak ravaging the U.S. poultry industry, doing so is “generally prohibited,” the CBP told the National Post.
Between October 2024 and February 2025 at the Detroit-Windsor crossing, for instance, the field office has witnessed a 36 per cent increase in “interceptions of eggs” compared to the same time last year. The agency avoids using the term “smuggling” because most of the confiscated eggs are declared and surrendered freely without consequence.
“There have been very few cases of people purposefully evading the inspection process/failing to declare the product,” CBP’s spokesperson wrote via email. “When that happens a $300 civil penalty is applied and the eggs are seized.”
But like fentanyl, the amount intercepted at the northern border pales in comparison to that seized at the U.S.-Mexico border. Last week, the San Diego Field Office noted a 158 per cent increase in interceptions since the 2024 fiscal year, and officers at the El Paso office have come across “more than 90 people attempting to import raw eggs from Mexico” since January. Nationally, the agency said interceptions are up 29 per cent at all ports of entry.
On the heels of an 8.4 jump in December, the price of retail eggs in the U.S. rose 13.8 per cent in January, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the agency predicts a 41 per cent increase this year. Farm-level egg prices, meanwhile, are anticipating an 82.6 per cent growth.
Using data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, Nerd Wallet reported a new record price of US $4.95 per dozen in January — 53 per cent higher than the year prior — but many Americans are paying double or far more in parts of the country.
In some cases, grocery stores are limiting purchases and restaurants are applying surcharges for meals using eggs.
An egg economy exists between Canada and the U.S., one that saw Canada export US$44 million worth of eggs in 2023 according to Observatory of Economic Complexity. Those imports will now be subject to the 25 per cent tariff instituted by U.S. President Donald Trump as of Tuesday, meaning higher prices for American buyers.
The three-year HPAI outbreak has resulted in the death of 166 million birds in the U.S.
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