The bird flu has given the United States a bottleneck: chicken eggs are scarce and expensive. Now the United States have asked in Europe – despite tariffs and diplomatic tensions. But larger exports are unlikely.
A dozen eggs in the United States now costs significantly more than ten US dollars in many supermarkets. The bird flu, which leads to bottlenecks. According to agreed media reports, the United States has now asked several European countries for egg exports. According to the media there have been received by the industry associations in Denmark and Sweden.
The Danish industry representative Jørgen Nyberg Larsen told the specialist magazine Agriwatch that the United States had asked how much one could deliver – also in Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden had received inquiries.
Numerous laying hens had to be cried
The Danish Minister of Agriculture Jacob Jensen said reportedly said that the inquiries from the United States were a good example that the United States continued to depend on Europe. Because of the plans of the US President to buy Greenland, the relationship between the two countries is currently tense.
After the outbreaks of bird flu, eggs in the USA are scarce and expensive. H5N1 is currently common in wild birds all over the world. In the United States, the virus led to outbreaks in poultry and milk companies. Numerous laying hens were culled to contain the plague.
Germany already exports smaller quantities
The managing director of the Swedish egg supplier Kronägg, Markus Lindström, confirmed to the newspaper Gothenburg post that the US authorities also asked for eggs. Lindström also dampened hope for exports to the USA. In contrast, export regulations and transportation over the Atlantic are difficult.
According to a report by CNN, Turkey plans to significantly expand its egg exports to the USA. The US government for the various inquiries about eggs has not yet been confirmed.
It is not known whether the United States is also interested in more eggs from Germany. According to the Federal Association of EI, small quantities are already exported to the USA. The volume was very low, according to previous information.
Laying hens cut in Germany: 302 eggs per year
However, Germany is also in abundance: the degree of self -care was 73 percent in 2023. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, the value shows the extent to which the generation of domestic agriculture can meet the need.
Production last increased last year. In 2024, 13.7 billion eggs came from laying hens at chicken yards in Germany – a good half a billion more than in the previous year. This emerges from an evaluation of the Federal Statistical Office. This results in an annual average of 302 eggs per hen. There are around 45 million animals in Germany. However, producers warn of a possible scarcity and accordingly higher prices of Easter.
