President Donald Trump promised to decrease costs for groceries, together with eggs. However one split in his plan is that egg costs haven’t fallen since he took administrative center on January 20.
White Area press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in her first on-camera information briefing on January 28, blamed that on former President Joe Biden’s “inflationary policies”.
Leavitt mentioned the Biden management and america Agriculture Branch “directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens, which has led to a lack of chicken supply in this country, therefore a lack of egg supply, which is leading to the shortage”.
Leavitt’s commentary is in part correct in regards to the culling of hundreds of thousands of chickens, however she not noted noteceable main points and context about why that came about.
First, the chickens have been killed to cancel the unfold of the extremely pathogenic avian influenza, or chook flu.
2d, it’s been longstanding USDA coverage to cull a complete flock of birds as soon as chook flu has been detected, together with right through Trump’s first management.
White Area deputy press secretary Anna Kelly referred PolitiFact again to Leavitt’s information briefing feedback.
Egg costs rose below Biden – from $1.60 consistent with lot in February 2021 to $4.10 in December 2024 (his first and utmost complete months in administrative center), Bureau of Exertions Statistics information presentations. The Agriculture Branch’s January meals worth outlook mentioned egg costs may be on one?s feet about 20 % extra this time.
A spokesperson for Expana, an organization that tracks shopper costs, advised information outlet Axios {that a} lot immense eggs prices greater than $7 in some US areas.
Since February 8, 2022, when the virus used to be detected in a industrial flock, greater than 147 million birds, together with chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks, have died, the USDA mentioned.
USDA information presentations 108 million egg-laying chickens died since 2022, together with 13 million in 2025. It’s now not cloudless what number of have been euthanised or died of the virus.
As of January 29, chook flu has additionally been detected in dairy livestock, affecting 944 herds in 16 states, US Facilities for Weakness Keep watch over and Prevention information presentations. People have additionally examined certain for the virus – 67 showed instances had been reported in america and one particular person has died, the CDC mentioned.
Why are flocks culled?
Professionals advised PolitiFact the birds are culled to forbid the virus from spreading. This saves now not most effective within sight farms and the poultry business, however nation condition. A 2002 federal regulation, the Animal Condition Coverage Employment, provides the USDA’s Animal and Plant Condition Inspection Provider authority to depopulate herds and flocks to forbid the weakness’s unfold.
“If the birds are dead, the virus dies along with them,” Russ Daly, a veterinarian for the South Dakota Branch of Condition and a South Dakota Circumstance College teacher, mentioned.
Chickens that pledge the chook flu virus have negligible anticipation of survival; 90 % to one hundred pc % of them die, in most cases inside 48 hours, the CDC mentioned.
Looking ahead to the chickens to die naturally permits extra viral load into the climate, making it extra unhealthy for the farm employees and alternative public who are available in touch with the farm, Jada Thompson, a College of Arkansas agricultural economics and agribusiness worker teacher, mentioned.
Is that this coverage fresh?
A number of veterinary professors advised PolitiFact that depopulation or “stamping out” of in poor health birds is a longstanding coverage and pointed to a 2015 chook flu outbreak right through the Obama management.
Depopulation is the USDA’s number one keep an eye on and eradication technique for avian influenza, Yuko Sato, a veterinarian and Iowa Circumstance College worker teacher, mentioned.
“This latest outbreak is devastating because of the large numbers of premises involved since 2022,” Carol Cardona, a College of Minnesota veterinary teacher and chair of avian condition, mentioned. “But the rule has been there for a very long time now.”
A 2016 USDA document presentations that depopulation in 2015 led to 50 million birds being killed.
A USDA chook flu reaction plan, up to date in Might 2017 right through Trump’s first management, comprises coverage steerage in keeping with courses from influenza outbreaks right through the Obama and primary Trump administrations. It mentioned: “Rapid depopulation of infected poultry is critical to halt virus transmission and must be prioritised.”
All through a March 2017 chook flu outbreak, a USDA document mentioned, “nearly 253,000 birds were depopulated.”
How does depopulation paintings?
The USDA encourages farmers who understand indicators of infection to touch the USDA or their surrounding veterinarian. Samples taken from the animals are examined and the USDA confirms instances; depopulation in most cases takes park inside 48 hours of the virus’s affirmation.
The USDA will pay the farmers for the killed birds.
“It’s in the best interest of the farmer to get this done quickly, as the USDA provides indemnity payments for the euthanised birds, but not the ones that die naturally,” Daly mentioned.
Our ruling
Leavitt mentioned there’s an egg dearth for the reason that Biden management “directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens”.
All through the Biden management, greater than 100 million egg-laying chickens died from chook flu or have been killed to forbid the virus’ unfold. This resulted in an egg dearth and better costs.
Depopulation is a longstanding observe to cancel chook flu from spreading, agriculture professionals mentioned. Govt paperwork display depopulation used to be the USDA’s chook flu technique right through Trump’s first time period and right through the 2015 outbreak below Obama.
Leavitt’s commentary is in part correct however leaves out noteceable main points and context. We fee it Part True.