Domestic eggs, which were first exported to the United States recently, are expected to make their way onto American tables in greater numbers.
On the 20th (local time), the U.S. government announced plans to import more eggs from Korea to address the egg supply shortage due to the spread of avian influenza.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said during a call with industry groups and reporters that the U.S. will start importing more eggs from Korea, according to a report by Reuters.
Recently, Gyerim Farm in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, exported 20 tons (11,172 cartons; 335,160 eggs) of special eggs to Georgia in the United States for the first time this month.
As a result, Korea is projected to become one of the main countries from which the U.S. will increase egg imports, along with Turkey and Brazil.
Since the outbreak of avian influenza in the U.S. in 2022, approximately 166 million laying hens have been slaughtered, leading to an egg supply shortage across the country, with egg prices hitting record highs in recent months. The U.S. government has been pursuing measures to increase egg imports from abroad to tackle this issue.
However, specific details regarding when and how much more egg will be imported from Korea have not yet been released.
Previously, Minister Rollins noted in a guest article published in the Wall Street Journal last month that the government would invest up to $1 billion (approximately 1.47 trillion won) to stabilize egg prices, which have been cited as a major cause of inflation, including efforts to eradicate avian influenza. Of that $1 billion, it was mentioned that up to $100 million (approximately 147 billion won) would be allocated for projects to research and develop treatments and vaccines for avian influenza.
The government fund is expected to be distributed to vaccine and treatment developers, state governments, universities, and other qualified institutions engaged in related research.
When asked whether this vaccine development policy was agreed upon with Minister of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., who has opposed several vaccines, a Department of Agriculture official stated that "there is alignment in the approach" but refrained from making more specific comments, according to Reuters.