US to invest up to $1 billion to combat bird flu

US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said on Monday that they will invest up to $1 billion to curb the bird flu crisis and make eggs affordable again, adding that they are temporarily considering importing eggs to reduce their cost.

Rollins wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal in which he outlined five steps American families can take to combat bird flu and reduce costs.

Rollins said egg prices are rising rapidly and that this is not just a matter of inflation, adding that the reason for the high price of eggs is partly due to the ongoing bird flu outbreaks that have been causing losses to poultry farmers for the past two years and reducing the egg supply.

Rollins noted that US President Donald Trump's administration took the issue seriously, arguing that former US President Joe Biden's administration did little to address repeated outbreaks and high egg prices.

Rollins, who announced that the Department of Agriculture will invest up to $1 billion to prevent the bird flu crisis and make eggs affordable again, emphasized that they are working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in waste and that they will reinvest some of the money saved into long-term solutions against bird flu.

Additional steps will be taken to reduce egg prices

First, Rollins said, the company will allocate up to $500 million to help U.S. poultry producers implement gold-standard biosecurity measures.

Second, Rollins noted that they will provide increased financial assistance of up to $400 million to farmers whose flocks have been affected by bird flu, helping these producers get approval more quickly so they can safely reopen after an outbreak.

Rollins said the ministry is investigating the use of vaccines and treatments for laying hens and will provide up to $100 million for this purpose, adding that in addition to combating bird flu, they will also take other steps to reduce egg prices.

Finally, Rollins noted that they will evaluate temporary import options to reduce egg costs in the short term, and that they will continue importing only if the eggs meet strict U.S. safety standards and it is determined that this will not jeopardize American farmers' access to markets in the future.

Rollins stressed that the five-point strategy will not eliminate the problem overnight, but will restore stability to the egg market over the next three to six months.

"Egg imports will help supply and demand"

Speaking to the press at the White House, US Secretary of Agriculture Rollins said that considering egg imports in the short term was related to cost.

"We are currently in talks with three or four countries to bring 70 million to 100 million eggs to the United States in the next month or two. That will help with supply and demand," Rollins said.

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