Avian flu causes egg prices to soar, the United States plans to import as many as 100 million eggs.

The United States is increasing its import of eggs and stepping up support for chicken farmers, in response to one of the most severe outbreaks of avian influenza in history. The avian flu has driven egg prices in the US to over $8 per dozen, a record high. The Department of Agriculture announced a $1 billion plan on Wednesday, consisting of five parts, to import 70 to 100 million eggs in the next one to two months to combat the avian flu. The strategy also includes assisting farmers in protecting birds from virus infections and quickly rebuilding populations after culling or depopulation. Trump said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, "Eggs are a disaster. We must lower prices, lower inflation, lower the price of eggs and various other things." Since December last year, outbreaks have occurred at egg-laying farms from Iowa to California to North Carolina, resulting in the culling of millions of birds, prompting grocery stores to limit purchases and restaurants to add surcharges. According to data from the Department of Agriculture, during the outbreak in 2015, the US imported over 53 million fresh eggs from countries like Spain, Canada, Italy, and France. Last year, Turkey exported nearly 491,000 eggs to the US. However, this is still a relatively small amount - even in January, with a decrease in the number of laying hens, the US produced over 8 billion eggs. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said, "One of the key issues facing the US today is the price of eggs, and the President has made lowering egg prices one of his top priorities from the start." Although the US is not yet ready to begin vaccinating birds, Rollins stated that the US will increase research on immunizations and relax regulations to help reduce costs. Rollins said, "Many in the industry believe we should go that route when it comes to laying hens, but it's not yet a proven vaccine. So, I hesitate to roll out anything that needs more vaccination without first understanding whether it will address the problem."