US goes to Europe for eggs, says it’s too difficult

The United States has asked Denmark and other European countries if they can export eggs as Americans face soaring egg prices, the Nordic Egg Association said, Reuters reported.

The request from the USDA coincides with a series of new US tariffs on countries including in Europe and a threat of even higher tariffs. President Donald Trump has also threatened economic sanctions if Denmark does not hand over control of Greenland to the United States.

Wholesale egg prices in the United States are hitting records as a growing outbreak of bird flu among laying hens cuts supplies. Trump promised to lower egg prices on his first day in office, but in February, the first full month of his administration, prices rose 59% year-on-year.

The letter, seen by Reuters, showed that a US Department of Agriculture representative in Europe sent formal requests to egg-producing countries in late February asking for information on their ability and willingness to export eggs to the US market.

“We are still awaiting further guidance from Washington on the next steps, but do you have an estimate of the number of eggs that could be shipped to the US (provided they meet all import requirements)?” the letter read in a follow-up letter to the Danish Egg Association sent in early March.

“Washington is trying to get an estimate of the number of eggs they could realistically ship,” the letter, obtained last week, said.

The Danish Egg Association said it would look into the matter, but that there was no surplus of eggs in Europe.

“There is a global egg shortage everywhere because consumption is increasing and many people have been affected by bird flu,” he added.

The spokesman said they had requested more details about the terms of such an agreement, stressing that exporting eggs to the US is difficult due to regulations related to hygiene and other factors.

In February, Turkey said it had started exporting about 15,000 tonnes of eggs to the US.

Last month, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a plan to source imported eggs as part of a $1 billion effort to combat bird flu.

As a reminder, the cost of eggs in the United States has increased by an average of 65% over the past two years, with 40% of that increase occurring between December 2023 and December 2024.

Tags: eggs, EU, USA