Egg prices declined in April for the first time in months after shortages caused by an avian flu outbreak caused prices to surge. The mere task of purchasing a grocery store staple became a political flashpoint during last year’s election.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its consumer price index report for April on Tuesday, showing egg prices declined by 12.7% when compared with the prior month. That followed monthly increases of 10.4% in February and 5.9% in March. The last decline in egg prices was recorded in October.
BLS data showed the average price of a dozen grade A large eggs was about $5.12 in April, down from nearly $6.23 in March and $5.90 in February. April’s prices were the lowest since January, when they averaged $4.95 a dozen, which was the last time they were under $5. Prices remain well above where they were last April, when BLS data showed they were about $2.86 a dozen.
The ongoing avian flu outbreak began in 2022, and in 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Information Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared it to be the “largest and longest outbreak in the history of the United States.”
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The H5N1 avian flu has affected 168 million birds around the country. Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, flocks are often euthanized in their entirety once the virus is detected.
BLS data shows that in 2021, before the outbreak began, the average price of grade A large eggs was under $1.80 per dozen throughout the year. Egg prices surged to $4.82 a dozen by January 2023 before declining to near $2, then gradually rising in 2024 and early 2025 until the latest peak in March.
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The rise in egg prices occurred amid the backdrop of overall inflation hitting a 40-year high in 2022. That made the issue a focal point of the 2024 presidential election, with President Donald Trump criticizing then-President Joe Biden and Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris over their handling of the outbreak.
After Trump’s election victory, his administration rolled out a plan to fight high egg prices that was led by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. She signaled that the U.S. would look to import eggs in the short term to help boost supply as domestic egg producers dealt with the effects of the outbreak. The plan also involved deregulation, biosecurity investments, repopulating fowl and investing in vaccines and therapeutic research.
A report by the USDA that was released on Friday showed that imports of eggs and liquid egg products have risen to help mitigate the domestic shortage and price increases, which have in turn boosted inventories.
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“Overall imports of shell and egg products rose 3 percent in March with an 18 percent increase in value driven by efforts to supplement shell and egg products in the domestic market due to reduced production resulting from persistent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the first two months of the year,” the USDA wrote.
“Imports of table shell eggs increased 257 percent as with two additional nations, Brazil and Honduras, shipping shell eggs to the U.S. in addition to Turkey and Mexico,” the report noted. “Imports of liquid egg products increased 11 percent for the month; 32 percent over year ago levels as both China and Thailand more than doubled their volumes from the prior month. Imports of liquid yolk increased 29 percent as Canada increased their shipments.”
Despite those efforts, the USDA report noted that egg prices remain at relatively high levels for consumers compared with historical trends.
“Price levels to the consumer have eased considerably from early-year highs but remain at levels not yet conducive to more than normal purchases needs as consumers are slow to adjust to what may be the new near-term norm,” the agency wrote.
FOX Business’ Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
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