Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News)- The United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) predicts the current record egg prices could rise more than 40% in 2025; just last month, the increase was predicted to be 20%.
This comes after the Trump Administration offered the first new details Wednesday about its plan to battle bird flu.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged it will take time before consumers see a price decease. Rollins said the USDA will invest an additional $1 billion, increasing its total expenditure to approximately $3 billion in its efforts to fight against the bird flu since the start of the outbreak in 2022.
Rollins expressed confidence that the USDA has sufficient personnel to address the bird flu situation despite the federal workforce cuts implemented by The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The proposed plan calls for $500 million investment in biosecurity measures for farmers, $400 million for additional support for farmers who have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million for research into potential vaccines and treatments for chicken flocks and reviewing and possibly revising what the administration views as restrictive animal welfare regulations in some states.
The virus is spread by wild birds as they migrate past farms. Poultry farmers have implemented protective measures to safeguard their birds since the 2015 bird flu outbreak. Certain measures have been implemented, including requiring workers to change clothes and shower before entering barns, using separate sets of tools, and sanitizing any vehicles that enter the farms, according to the Associated Press.
More than 166 million birds have been slaughtered, most being egg- laying chickens, to stop the spread of the virus after cases were found. Last month nearly 19 million egg-laying chickens were slaughtered, according to the Associated Press.
It’s not just eggs on the rise, beef prices are predicted to increase by 3.2% and sugar and sweets are projected to increase by 6.4%.