The US has asked German egg suppliers to increase their exports to the country amid a shortage of the commodity due to the outbreak of bird flu, Der Spiegel magazine reported, citing a representative of the German Egg Producers Association.
“We have received a request from the US“, he said in an interview with the publication, but declined to provide further details. According to Spiegel, the import of eggs from Europe is aimed at combating the rising prices of this commodity in the US due to its shortage. Against this background, the country has made similar requests to other European countries, including Denmark and Sweden.
According to the president of the German Egg Producers Association, Hans-Peter Goldnick, small batches of the product are already being exported to the US, but their volumes are extremely small. He explained that the scale of egg production in Germany is also small. Thus, in 2023, only 73% of the eggs consumed in the country were domestically produced.
In the United States, there has been a shortage of chicken eggs in recent months, and the prices of this product remain high. The reason for this is the death of 17.2 million laying hens in November - December 2024. The recovery of the population may take months. In January, the price of a dozen eggs was $ 5.29, while a year ago the price was about $ 3.50, that is, prices have increased by 50%. In some states, stores limit sales to no more than one package of eggs per customer. A new wave of bird flu began in the United States with wild birds in South Carolina in January 2022, and in July of the same year the virus was registered in California.