US customs seizing more eggs than drugs at Canada border: Report
ByHT News Desk
Mar 08, 2025 01:54 PM IST
The US reportedly saw a 36 per cent increase in people attempting to smuggle eggs into the country since October 2024
Eggs, not fentanyl have become the most prized illegal import from Canada to the United States as prices rise due to the onset of bird flu, reported The Logic.
More eggs and poultry products are being illegally smuggled from Canada to the US than fentanyl.(Representational image/Reuters)
More eggs and poultry products are being illegally smuggled from Canada to the US than fentanyl.(Representational image/Reuters)
After analysing official data on imports and seizures, the report stated that US customs officers were confiscating more poultry products, including eggs, than fentanyl - a drug at the centre of the current tariff war between the United States and Canada.
Also Read: US: 1 lakh eggs worth $40,000 stolen in Pennsylvania amid nationwide shortage: Report
The US reportedly saw a 36 per cent jump in people attempting to smuggle eggs into the country since October 2024, due to prices shooting up during a period bird flu (avian flu).
The US customs and border protection office in Detroit noted a 36 per cent increase in this period, while the San Diego office, which is close to the Mexican border, saw the number of egg seizures increase by 158 per cent.
Also Read: 29% rise in egg detentions as CBP targets illegal smuggling from Mexico
Since October, 2024 US customs officers have made 3,768 seizures of bird and poultry-related products at all US borders, compared to 352 fentanyl seizures in the same time period.
The supply of eggs and other unprocessed bird products are illegal in the US due to concerns surrounding bird flu. People are liable to face a $300 fine if caught smuggling eggs across the border.
Also Read: Egg prices in US soar to as high as ₹860 a dozen amid bird flu scare
In response to this data, the chief of policy at the Canadian chamber of commerce, Matthew Holmes stated, “As serious as combatting illegal fentanyl is, its link to these trade decisions is highly questionable. It appears there are more eggs being smuggled into the U.S. from Canada right now than fentanyl.”
The US egg crisis
While the entirety of North America has faced issues due to the spread of bird flu, Canada has fared significantly better than the US, with prices expected to continue rising throughout the year as per the US department of agriculture (USDA).
US President Donald Trump has described the egg crisis as “out of control” and blamed the situation on former President Joe Biden.
Trump ally and billionaire Elon Musk, also blamed Biden stating that he had authorised “an insane slaughter of 150 million egg-laying chickens”, although the policy of thinning out the poultry population is a policy of the USDA being followed by Donald Trump as well.
The USDA stated last week that they would spend $1 billion to “explore temporary import options”, however there has been no agreement reached with Canada yet to solve the egg crisis.
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