Border agents are intercepting people trying to smuggle in eggs from Mexico

As consumers face skyrocketing egg prices, US Customs and Border Protection reports an increase of people attempting to smuggle eggs across the border from Mexico.

As egg prices in the U.S. are hitting record highs, the price of eggs in Mexico is reported to be well below half of U.S. prices.

Customs agents in Texas have intercepted at least 90 people and issued 16 civil penalties this year for attempting to smuggle eggs from Mexico. 

Bringing fresh eggs, raw chicken, unprocessed avian products or live birds into the U.S. is illegal, the agency said in a news release. 

The agency has seen a 29% increase in eggs being detained at ports of entry this fiscal year when compared to the same time-period in the last fiscal year.

Egg prices have jumped to all-time highs due in part to an outbreak of bird flu that has been afflicting egg-laying hens in the US since 2022. About 166 million birds have been culled after becoming infected. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Wednesday a plan to invest $1 billion in strategies to rein in soaring egg prices. Yet in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Rollins acknowledged that it “won’t erase the problem overnight.” Rather, she said the egg market won’t stabilize for another “three to six months.”



(AP file photo)