U.S. officials cracking down on people trying to bring valuable eggs across the border

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the travel of the deadly cause fentanyl crossed the borderline indispensable beryllium stopped.

But U.S. border officials are progressively cracking down connected different invaluable merchandise these days: eggs.

Officials made 3,254 egg-related seizures successful January and February 2025, according to caller information released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). That's a 116 per cent summation in egg seizures compared to the 1,508 events the aforesaid 2 months a twelvemonth ago.

The emergence comes as U.S. wholesale ovum prices are shattering records arsenic an accelerating outbreak of vertebrate flu successful laying hens slashes supplies. Trump promised to little ovum prices connected his archetypal time successful bureau but prices increased 59 per cent on a year-on-year ground successful February, the archetypal afloat period of his administration.

And portion wholesale prices whitethorn beryllium coming backmost down, they "have yet to beryllium reflected astatine store shelves," according to the USDA's astir caller ovum markets overview.

Egg interceptions astatine the Detroit borderline crossing (where astir eggs are coming successful from Canada) accrued 36 per cent successful the 2025 fiscal twelvemonth compared to the aforesaid clip play successful 2024, according to information provided by CBP to CBC News.

WATCH | U.S. concern scramble implicit soaring ovum prices: 

In Windsor, Ont., a twelve ample achromatic eggs astatine Walmart presently costs astir $3.93. On the different broadside of the borderline successful Michigan, a twelve ample achromatic eggs astatine Walmart costs astir $8.50 Cdn.

Overall, the U.S. CBP reports a 36 per cent increase successful eggs being detained astatine each ports of introduction this fiscal year, which is October 2024 to February 2025.

These numbers bash not seizure what is really smuggled into the country, though CBP says astir of the ovum seizures hap aft travellers willingly state the product.

Fentanyl seizures down 32%

Fentanyl, connected the different hand, was intercepted by CBP 134 times successful January and February this year, down 32 per cent from 197 seizures the aforesaid 2 months successful 2024. Of those 134 events successful 2025, 9 were astatine the bluish borderline with Canada, moving retired to 0.53 kilograms of the 740 kilograms seized truthful acold overall.

Canada has represented little than 1 per cent of each seized fentanyl imports into the U.S., according to national data. About 19.5 kilograms was seized astatine the bluish borderline past twelvemonth compared to 9,570 kilograms astatine the southwestern border.

The latest monthly Consumer Price Index showed a twelve Grade A eggs outgo an mean of $5.90 US, oregon astir $8.40 Cdn, successful U.S. cities successful February, up 10.4 per cent from a twelvemonth ago.That eclipsed January's record-high price of $4.95 US, oregon astir $7 Cdn.

The CBP has issued astatine slightest 2 antithetic warnings truthful acold this twelvemonth astir smuggling earthy eggs crossed the borderline from Mexico. The San Diego Field Office has seen a 158 per cent increase successful ovum interceptions since fiscal twelvemonth 2024, according to a quality merchandise connected Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in El Paso, Texas, person stopped astatine slightest 90 radical from attempting to smuggle earthy eggs into the state from Mexico since January, the bureau said successful a news merchandise Feb. 21.