Nearly $10 for a dozen: How the high price of eggs fueled their smuggling from Mexico

As the price of eggs in the United States has skyrocketed, cases of people crossing into Mexico to buy them cheaper and then trying to smuggle them to US soil have also increased, according to the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). for its acronym in English).

The entry of raw eggs from Mexico to the United States is prohibited, as are certain agricultural products, for fear that foreign animal pests and diseases could enter the country.

"The San Diego Field Office has recently noted an increase in the number of eggs intercepted at our ports of entry. As a reminder, the entry of raw eggs from Mexico into the United States is prohibited," warned the director of that CBP office, Jennifer DeLaO

Failing to declare agricultural items, the official said,

"A bag of 30 eggs in Juárez costs around 3.50 dollars. Here in El Paso (it costs) 5.30 dollars. So the price difference between the Juárez egg and the one here is very large," Luis Carlos told Telemundo News. Macías, CBP Agriculture specialist.

According to Macías, in the last three months of 2022, Customs and Border Protection saw a 108% increase in cases of eggs and poultry seized at ports of entry between October 1 and December 31, 2022. .

What is the reason for the price increase?

Egg prices have risen partly due to inflation, but mostly due to the impact of one of the worst outbreaks of bird flu in the United States.

Nearly 58 million birds have been infected with the disease in 47 states, according to USDA data.

More than 43 million laying hens have had to be culled since February 2022 to try to control the disease, Jerome Rosa, director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture, explained to Telemundo News.

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Bird flu is a serious disease and requires a rapid response because it is highly contagious and often fatal to birds, the Department of Agriculture warns.

It is usually transmitted by wild birds, such as ducks and geese, which infect poultry.

Cases of contagion to humans are rare, but can occur "when enough virus gets into a person's eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). .

The large number of sick and euthanized animals has affected egg production.

Some 9.12 billion eggs were produced in the United States last December, a 6% decrease from December 2021 production, according to federal data.

Egg prices in the United States increased 32% during 2022, according to the Department of Agriculture. Teresa Crawford / AP

A higher demand

Adding to the impact of bird flu is the fact that consumer demand for eggs has remained high over the past year.

Eggs are a basic product with few substitutes, but they also represented a lower-cost alternative to consume proteins, due to the high prices of meat due to inflation, according to a report from the Department of Agriculture.

All told, egg prices increased an average of 30% last year over 2021, according to federal data.

It is the edible that experienced the largest price increase among livestock feeds, dairy products and poultry.

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"It's a supply disruption like it's some kind of 'divine ordinance,'" Brian Moscogiuri, global trade strategist for Eggs Unlimited, an Irvine, California-based egg supplier, told NBC News.

Moscogiuri called the situation "unprecedented" and explained that farmers not only cull infected birds, but

intended to prevent the spread of the virus. avian disease.

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Some choose beers over eggs

Ericka Mendoza, owner of La Estrella de Jalisco grocery store in El Paso, Texas, explained that some customers have stopped buying eggs when they found out the price.

"There are people who have come here and tell me, 'oh, it's better not, because it's too high.' ", said.

Mendoza explained that some customers have even continued to buy their beers, but have given up on the eggs.

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Despite the increase in egg seizures at the border, some Hispanics consulted by Noticias Telemundo in El Paso agreed that they would rather pay a high price for them than risk a fine for trying to bring them from Mexico clandestinely.

According to official data, during 2022 the cost of chicken meat increased just half (14.6%) of what the prices of eggs rose.

In fact, it is estimated that in 2022 46.245 million pounds of chicken meat were produced, an increase of 3% compared to 2021.

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 are not affected by bird flu to the same extent as laying hens

, Moscogiuri explained  .

“They are two totally different production styles, two totally different breeds of birds,” he told NBC News.

In which states has the price skyrocketed the most?

The rise in egg prices have impacted some states more than others.

, where most food has to be imported, was the state where the highest price for a dozen eggs was recorded in December:

, according to data from the Instacart company cited by various media.

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Florida

was the second state where consumers paid the most for a dozen eggs: $6.36.

There the prices of that food increased by 57% in the last month of 2022.

However, it has been the Midwest of the country where the greatest impact from the rise has been felt, in general.

In

, the average cost of a dozen eggs in December was $4.44, an increase of 153% over the same month in 2021. That was the state with the biggest price hike for the product.

Alonso Velásquez