As Americans continue to cluck over the high price of eggs, there's been a spike in attempts to illegally smuggle the kitchen staple into the country over the U.S.-Mexico border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
From December 2021 to December 2022, egg prices increased by 60%, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) attributes to avian flu. The disease affected hens throughout last year, resulting in 29% fewer eggs available during the last week of December than at the beginning of the year.
According to the USDA, more than 43 million chickens were lost in 2022.
A CBP spokesman said that eggs in Mexico are substantially cheaper than those in the United States, causing some to smuggle them across the southern border.
"They are significantly less expensive in Mexico than the U.S.," Gerrelaine Alcordo, spokesperson for CBP in San Diego, told the Los Angeles Times. "This is also occurring with added frequency at other Southwest border locations as well. ... We continue to see higher than average numbers of prohibited poultry products. Even one uncooked egg is too many, due to the risk it could pose to American agriculture."
With most people declaring them when they enter the U.S., most attempts to transport eggs over the border are "not necessarily smuggling," a CBP spokesperson told the Daily Caller. Even so, there has been a recent spike in undeclared egg movement.
"There have been a very small number of cases in the last week or so where the eggs were not declared and then discovered during an inspection," the CBP spokesperson said. "When that happens the eggs are seized and the individual is assessed a $300 civil penalty. Penalties can be higher for repeat offenders or commercial size imports."
The San Diego CBP office tweeted a reminder last month that raw eggs are not allowed to cross into the U.S. from Mexico because of the risk of spreading bird flu and Newcastle disease. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the danger is not from eating the eggs, but rather from touching contaminated surfaces, such as unwashed egg shells and soiled containers.
From the last quarter of 2021 to 2022, CBP's San Diego field office saw a 397% increase in egg seizures, while the office in Tucson, Arizona, saw a 320% increase, according to the Times. The Laredo, Texas, field office saw a 313% increase over the same time period.
According to CBP, most egg interceptions are the result of voluntary declarations, which allow the eggs to be surrendered without any consequences.
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