Why is Turkey sending thousands of tonnes of eggs to US buyers?

Turkey has started to export masses of eggs to the US this month in response to an outbreak of bird flu across the Atlantic.

“A total of 15,000 tonnes of eggs – equivalent to 700 containers – will be shipped,” Ibrahim Afyon, chairman of the Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey, told Reuters.

“The export will take place through our member companies with the required authorizations, while two firms will coordinate the process,” Afyon said.

The shipments began this month and will continue until July, under a preliminary agreement, he added.

The Turkey-US deal is expected to generate around $26 million (€24.9mn) in export revenue, said Afyon.

Bird flu

The US is currently working to tackle an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, also known as bird flu, which is affecting domestic egg supply.

Although bird flu has been present in the US for years, the virus began to infect dairy cattle in 2024.

The US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still maintains that bird flu represents a low risk to the general public, although one human patient has died from the virus.

With farmers slaughtering hens to limit the spread of the disease, supermarkets have faced egg shortages and prices have been soaring.

 In 2024, egg prices rose 65% and then another 15% in the month of January alone.

It’s estimated that about 162 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been wiped out by the flu since 2022.

DOGE layoffs

To complicate matters further, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday that it had accidentally sacked several agency employees working on the state’s response to the outbreak.

The job cuts were part of a wider plan to cut government costs, spearheaded by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the leadership of Elon Musk.

The USDA is now seeking to rehire individuals who saw their contracts terminated.