WASHINGTON — After less than a month since the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented its $1 billion plan to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and lower egg prices, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced significant improvements.

“Egg prices are falling, farmers are getting the relief they need, and we are seeing meaningful progress in the fight against avian flu,” Rollins said. “USDA is making targeted investments and driving innovation to keep our food supply strong and affordable —delivering real results for American families and producers.”

The HPAI outbreak that has been raging on since February 2022 has affected over 100 million hens from commercial table-egg facilities, leading to 8% fewer egg-laying hens compared to three years ago, according to a report from CoBank. As a result, the egg supply has been tight, and prices have skyrocketed.

Rollins looked to address this issue with the USDA’s new HPAI strategy that focused on strengthened biosecurity and the exploration of vaccinations.

In her latest update, Rollins said wholesale egg prices have dropped nearly 50% in the past month.

For example, the New York wholesale egg price, which peaked at $8.53 per dozen, has steadily declined to $4.08 as of March 19. Fluctuations with the Easter holiday are anticipated, but the overall downward trend is a bright light for what consumers can expect from the USDA’s new approach.

To stabilize supply, USDA has been working on adjusting imports and exports for the time being. The agency secured new egg import commitments from Turkey and South Korea. More countries may follow suit as the agency furthers negotiations.

Looking to retain eggs for the domestic market, the USDA has lessened US shell egg exports by 8%.

Biosecurity improvements

USDA continues to look for ways to reduce the amount of culling while maintaining food safety standards. As part of this priority, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) invested $100 million to support the research of HPAI prevention, therapeutics and potential vaccines. This funding opportunity will be executed in consultation with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

USDA will award funding through a competitive process, giving priority to projects that develop novel therapeutics addressing HPAI in poultry, that advance research on HPAI risk pathways to improve biosecurity and outbreak response, and that explore vaccine candidates to protect poultry while minimizing trade disruptions.

On April 1 at 12 p.m. ET, APHIS will host a webinar providing additional details about the program for interested applicants.

Additionally, USDA has expanded biosecurity assessments and audits for commercial poultry processing operations, prioritizing egg-laying facilities in top-producing states.

So far in 2025, over 130 facilities have completed assessments, with 38 assessments accomplished in the last week alone, USDA said in its update on March 20.

The two assessments — now free for poultry producers not affected by HPAI — focus on wildlife risk mitigation and general biosecurity improvements.

All farms that have been affected by HPAI must complete a biosecurity audit before restocking flocks.

USDA added that it will cover up to 75% of costs for the highest-risk biosecurity improvements.

For more financial relief and to support faster repopulation, USDA increased the indemnity rate for layer hens by 2.41 times on Feb. 27, raising compensation to $16.94 per bird.

The agency plans to provide regular updates as its HPAI mitigation plan unfolds.