USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg Prices (February 26, 2025)

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Press Release

USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg Prices

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Published:
February 26, 2025

Secretary Rollins rolls out a robust strategy to deliver affordable eggs

Washington, D.C., Feb. 26, 2025—U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced a $1 billion-dollar comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices. This is in addition to funding already being provided to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks.

As the Secretary detailed in the Wall Street Journal, the five-pronged strategy includes an additional $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million in financial relief for affected farmers, and $100 million for vaccine research, action to reduce regulatory burdens, and exploring temporary import options.

“The Biden administration did little to address the repeated outbreaks and high egg prices that followed. By contrast, the Trump administration is taking the issue seriously,” Secretary Rollins wrote. “American farmers need relief, and American consumers need affordable food. To every family struggling to buy eggs: We hear you, we’re fighting for you, and help is on the way.”

USDA’s Five-Pronged Approach to Address Avian Flu

Invest in Gold-Standard Biosecurity Measures for all U.S. Poultry Producers

• USDA will expand its highly successful Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments to producers across the nation, beginning with egg-layer facilities, to safeguard farms from the cause of 83% of HPAI cases: transmission from wild birds. These additional safety measures have proven to minimize flu cases; the approximately 150 facilities that follow these protocols have had only one outbreak.
• Biosecurity audits will be expanded. Free biosecurity audits will continue for all HPAI-affected farms. Shortcomings for HPAI-affected farms must be addressed to remain eligible for indemnification for future infections within this outbreak. Biosecurity audits will be encouraged and made available to surrounding, non-affected farms.
• USDA will deploy 20 trained epidemiologists as part of its increased biosecurity audits and Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments to provide actionable and timely advice to producers on how to reduce HPAI risk at their facilities. These experts will help improve current biosecurity measures to focus on protecting against spread through wild birds in addition to lateral spread.
• USDA will share up to 75% of the costs to fix the highest risk biosecurity concerns identified by the assessments and audits, with a total available investment of up to $500 million.

Increase Relief to Aid Farmers and Accelerate Repopulation

• APHIS will continue to indemnify producers whose flocks must be depopulated to control the further spread of HPAI.
• New programs are being explored to aid farmers to accelerate the rate of repopulation, including ways to simplify the approval process to speed recovery.
• Up to $400 million will be available to support these costs for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Remove Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens on the Chicken and Egg Industry to Further Innovation and Reduce Consumer Prices

• USDA is working alongside our partners at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to examine strategies to safely expand supply in the commercial market for eggs.
• USDA will minimize burdens on individual farmers and consumers who harvest homegrown eggs.
• USDA will work with farmers and scientists to develop innovative strategies to limit the extent of depopulations in HPAI outbreaks.
• USDA will educate consumers and Congress on the need to fix the problem of geographical price differences for eggs, such as in California, where recent regulatory burdens, in addition to avian flu, have resulted in the price of eggs being 60% higher than other regions of the country.

Explore Pathways toward Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Other Strategies for Protecting Egg Laying Chickens to Reduce Instances of Depopulation

• USDA will be hyper-focused on a targeted and thoughtful strategy for potential new generation vaccines, therapeutics, and other innovative solutions to minimize depopulation of egg laying chickens along with increased bio-surveillance and other innovative solutions targeted at egg laying chickens in and around outbreaks. Up to a $100 million investment will be available for innovation in this area.
• Importantly, USDA will work with trading partners to limit impacts to export trade markets from potential vaccination. Additionally, USDA will work alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the public health and safety of any such approaches include considerations of tradeoffs between public health and infectious disease strategy.
• USDA will solicit public input on solutions, and will involve Governors, State Departments of Agriculture, state veterinarians, and poultry and dairy farmers on vaccine and therapeutics strategy, logistics, and surveillance. USDA will immediately begin holding biweekly discussions on this and will also brief the public on its progress biweekly until further notice.

Consider Temporary Import-Export Options to Reduce Costs on Consumers and Evaluate International Best Practices

• USDA will explore options for temporarily increasing egg imports and decreasing exports, if applicable, to supplement the domestic supply, subject to safety reviews.
• USDA will evaluate international best practices in egg production and safety to determine any opportunities to increase domestic supply.

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https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/02/26/usda-invests-1-billion-combat-avian-flu-and-reduce-egg-prices

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Press Release

USDA Update on Progress of Five-Pronged Strategy to Combat Avian Flu and Lower Egg Prices

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Published:
March 20, 2025


WASHINGTON, March 20, 2025 — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins hosted a stakeholder update today to provide the first progress report on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) five-pronged strategy to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and lower egg prices. Less than a month after the plan’s rollout, USDA reports significant advancements across all five areas.

“Egg prices are falling, farmers are getting the relief they need, and we are seeing meaningful progress in the fight against avian flu,” said Secretary Rollins. “USDA is making targeted investments and driving innovation to keep our food supply strong and affordable —delivering real results for American families and producers.”

Since February 26, wholesale egg prices have dropped nearly 50%. The New York wholesale egg price, which peaked at $8.53 per dozen, has steadily declined to $4.08 as of March 19. While seasonal Easter demand may cause fluctuations, the downward trend underscores the effectiveness of USDA’s approach.

Progress on USDA’s Five-Pronged Strategy

Strengthening Biosecurity Measures

USDA has expanded biosecurity assessments to commercial poultry producers nationwide, prioritizing egg-laying facilities in top-producing states. More than 130 facilities have undergone assessments in 2025, with 38 assessments completed last week alone.

To help prevent further outbreaks, USDA now offers two free, voluntary biosecurity assessments: one focused on wildlife risk mitigation and another on general biosecurity improvements. Additionally, all farms affected by HPAI must complete a biosecurity audit before restocking flocks. USDA is covering up to 75% of costs for the highest-risk biosecurity improvements.

Expediting Relief for Farmers to Accelerate Repopulation

To provide financial relief and support faster repopulation, USDA increased the indemnity rate for layer hens by 2.41x on February 27, raising compensation to $16.94 per bird.

Reducing Regulatory Burdens to Expand Supply & Lower Prices

USDA is working with FDA and industry stakeholders to evaluate solutions that can help expand supply safely, minimize burdens on farmers and consumers, and promote innovative approaches to disease management. The Department continues to explore ways to reduce the extent of depopulations while maintaining food safety standards.

Investing $100 Million in Avian Flu Research & Vaccine Development

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) launched a $100 million funding opportunity, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to support research into HPAI prevention, therapeutics, and potential vaccines. In consultation with HHS, USDA will also explore prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in agriculture and in humans, to ensure limited impact on American farmers. Funding will be awarded through a competitive process, with priority given to projects that:

• Develop novel therapeutics to address HPAI in poultry,
• Advance research on avian influenza risk pathways to improve biosecurity and outbreak response, and
• Explore vaccine candidates to protect poultry while minimizing trade disruptions.

USDA APHIS will host a webinar on April 1 at 12 p.m. ET that will provide details for interested applicants.

Exploring Temporary Import-Export Adjustments to Stabilize Supply

USDA has secured new egg import commitments from Turkey and South Korea, with discussions ongoing with other countries to further expand supply in the short term. Additionally, U.S. shell egg exports have declined by 8%, ensuring more eggs remain in the domestic market to help stabilize prices.

USDA continues working closely with HHS, CDC, NIH, and FDA to coordinate a science-based response to HPAI and remains committed to regular public updates on progress.

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/03/20/usda-update-progress-five-pronged-strategy-combat-avian-flu-and-lower-egg-prices