U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reporting a significant increase in egg smuggling attempts from Mexico as U.S. egg prices continue to rise due to a bird flu outbreak, among other factors.
Since January, CBP officers in the El Paso region have intercepted over 90 individuals attempting to bring raw eggs into the U.S. illegally, according to a Feb. 21 CBP press release.
Over the past two weeks, in addition to arresting 30 fugitives, CBP officers in El Paso, TX seized:
• 64lbs of meth
• 180 rooster gaffs
• 7,500 animal steroid tablets
• raw eggsFrom drug smuggling to ag violations, our officers stay busy.
➡️ https://t.co/rv8sk9BTV5 pic.twitter.com/XnM6ZL0aVb
— CBP (@CBP) February 25, 2025
The surge comes as large Grade A egg prices in the U.S. have reached an all-time high average of US $4.95 per dozen in January. In some areas, prices soared to as high as $12 per dozen.
CBP data showed a 29% increase in egg detentions at U.S. ports of entry from October 2024 to February 2025 compared to the same period last year. In the El Paso area alone, CBP agriculture specialists have issued 16 civil penalties totaling nearly $4,000 for attempts to smuggle eggs and other prohibited items.
Importation of raw eggs from Mexico is prohibited due to concerns about diseases such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) — which is one form of bird flu — and Virulent Newcastle Disease (ND).
While the price surge in the United States “is primarily due to supply chain disruptions,” according to Newsweek, other factors are the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has led to the culling of millions of chickens and new regulations in some states mandating cage-free eggs.
Newsweek quoted a U.S. Department of Agriculture projection saying that egg prices will rise another 20.3% in 2025. Already, a dozen eggs in January cost an average of $4.95 — nearly double the $2.52 they cost in the same month last year — according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(It should be noted that a similar phenomenon occurred in the U.S. in early 2023, with an outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu, sending egg prices soaring to $4.82 a dozen that January. Moreover, although things are relatively stable in Mexico right now, with no major outbreaks reported, the country has had its own battles with avian flu.)
An NBC San Diego report noted that bringing eggs across the border, which could result in fines up to US $10,000, is usually not a matter of “smuggling.” Mostly, it’s people simply not knowing that eggs are on the same list as poultry, meat, vegetables and fruit.
According to a Daily Meal report from earlier this month, Mexican supermarkets were selling a dozen white eggs for 53 to 70 pesos (US $2.86 to $3.42), with the Guadalajara Reporter noting 18 eggs selling for 50 pesos (US $2.44) — equivalent to just $1.63 per dozen.
Also, one YouTuber recently posted a video of finding eggs at a Walmart in Cancún for as low as US $1.84 per dozen.
Still, Mexico’s national statistics institute INEGI indicated Monday that egg prices in Mexico had climbed 5.28% this month, “driven mainly by the strong demand in the neighboring country,” Juan Carlos Anaya, general director of Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA), told the newspaper El Financiero.
With reports from Newsweek, USA Today, NBC San Diego and KVIA ABC-7
