Americans have been attempting to smuggle eggs from Mexico and Canada due to high egg prices in the United States.
Egg interceptions are up 36% in the U.S. compared to last year, according to Customs and Border Protection, and a 54% increase along the Texas border.
Smuggling eggs is prohibited in the U.S. because they have not been properly inspected and could spread disease. However, with rising prices on eggs, some U.S. travelers have been more inclined to bring them across borders.
Mexico’s eggs generally cost around $2 to $2.30. Meanwhile, the average price of a dozen large white eggs started at $8 at the beginning of the month but has fallen dramatically over the past week.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a $1 billion plan to tackle high eggs prices and reduce the spread of the bird flu last month. The Trump administration is also looking to import eggs from foreign markets.
EGG PRICES PLUNGE NEARLY $2, NOW LOWER THAN WHEN TRUMP TOOK OFFICE
This week, Rollins said that egg prices have fallen by nearly $2 since the Trump administration initiated its biosafety strategy for curbing the bird flu and prices.
“We’re more focused on how we bring the price of eggs down and the avian bird flu for everyone,” Rollins told reporters Tuesday. “A good piece of news we just got in the last day or two is that the average cost of a dozen eggs has gone down $1.85 since we announced our plan about a week and a half ago.”
