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Déficit de production d’œufs | Washington sollicite l’aide de plusieurs pays
Washington seeks help from several countries
(Washington) The United States, seeking to reduce its dependence on imports, is forced to convince other countries to supply eggs to compensate for the production deficit linked to avian flu.
The increasing number of cases of avian flu in US farms has decimated supply and transformed eggs into a symbol of an inflation that is giving Americans no respite.
To prevent the virus from spreading, more than 30 million laying hens have been euthanized since the beginning of the year.
The loss of their production translates into empty stalls and high prices, given that rebuilding a population of laying hens takes time.
It takes approximately 18 weeks after hatching for a female to be able to lay her first egg.
The White House touted a sharp decline in wholesale egg prices this week—the Department of Agriculture attributed this to a lull in avian flu and a decline in demand, discouraged by high prices.
But this decline has not yet materialized on supermarket shelves, and the situation remains tense ahead of the Easter holiday, which generally coincides with peak consumption.
The United States is therefore seeking to increase supply by negotiating additional volumes across borders.
"For now, we will be importing eggs from Turkey and South Korea," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters on Friday. "Just yesterday [Thursday], I spoke to a handful of other countries whose production we will soon be able to import. We haven't signed any agreements yet, so I prefer not to name them," she added.
We're talking about hundreds of millions of eggs in the short term... That's enough to help lower prices further while we wait for our chicken population to rebuild.
Brooke Rollins, United States Secretary of Agriculture
The minister hoped that domestic production could cover most of the needs "within a few months."
In a statement, her department also expressed satisfaction with a decline in American exports, stating that "keeping more eggs on the domestic market helps stabilize prices."
Europeans also in demand
Washington's desire to secure new supplies coincides with a period of great trade tension.
Since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has implemented new tariffs and promised more to favor domestic production.
Canada, Mexico, China, the European Union... The list of countries targeted is long.
Last year, the United States' largest external supplier of eggs was by far Canada, followed by the United Kingdom, China, and then Turkey.
South Korea came in 23rd place.
Several European egg producer associations reported Friday that they had been approached by the United States about exporting eggs.
"As early as February, the American embassy in Warsaw asked our organization if Poland would be interested in sending eggs to the American market," Katarzyna Gawronska, director of the Polish Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers, told AFP.
The president of the Lithuanian Association, Gytis Kauzonas, reported a similar request "several weeks ago."
The two officials explained that they were initially focusing on supplying the European market, where producers are already struggling to meet demand.
"The key question would be what financial conditions the Americans would offer," said Ms. Gawronska.
The United States will also have to ease health restrictions on food entering its territory, Mr. Kauzonas pointed out.
"Usually," the Lithuanian producer noted, "it takes years to obtain such a permit, but given the current situation, I think anything is possible."
Published at 6:14 PM
