USDA's $100 Million Investment to Combat Bird Flu and Tackle Egg Prices

The USDA plans to invest up to $100 million in research for bird flu therapies and vaccines. The U.S. will also import more eggs from South Korea. The bird flu outbreak has led to high egg prices due to constrained supply. The USDA requires infected flocks to be culled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Thursday an investment of up to $100 million in projects aimed at researching therapies and vaccines to combat bird flu in poultry. The move comes amid an outbreak that has caused egg prices to soar, claiming the lives of nearly 170 million egg-laying hens and other birds since it started in 2022.

Alongside this commitment, the U.S. is set to increase egg imports from South Korea, adding it to the list of nations, including Turkey and Brazil, sending eggs to the U.S. to help reduce prices. According to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, these initiatives are part of the broader strategy by the Trump administration to make eggs more affordable.

Debate also continues around the potential use of vaccines. Despite no current USDA approval, the department is looking for suitable vaccine candidates against circulating flu variants. Industry leaders express a desire to vaccinate affected poultry and possibly dairy cows, though disagreement exists over approaches to halt the virus spread, highlighted by varying positions from Secretary Rollins and a known vaccine skeptic, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

(With inputs from agencies.)