USA Becomes the Largest Importer of Brazilian Eggs

Brazilian egg exports include both fresh and processed products. In the first quarter of 2025, exports grew by 97.2% compared to the same period in 2024, totaling 8,654 tonnes.

According to Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA (Brazilian Animal Protein Association), this increase reflects the opening of the U.S. market to Brazilian eggs, intended for further processing to produce food for human consumption. “While maintaining the domestic supply of products—since exports account for only around 1% of total national production—these shipments represent an important achievement for the sector’s growth,” he said in a statement.

Initially, the U.S. imported Brazilian eggs solely for use in animal feed. Recently, due to a supply shortage, the U.S. began approving imports for human consumption, but only as ingredients for the food industry.

According to Laiz Foltran, ABPA’s market intelligence coordinator, exports are expected to remain strong in the coming months, especially with demand from the U.S., Chile, and Japan. The outlook is also promising for Mexico, a new market.

Foltran told Valor Econômico that the Brazilian government is still negotiating with U.S. authorities to expand the export scope to include eggs for direct human consumption without requiring industrial processing.

The avian flu crisis in the U.S. has already killed 30.3 million laying hens in 2025 alone, significantly reducing the domestic egg supply and driving prices up. In response, President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have launched a veritable “egg hunt” in the international market, seeking products from other countries to ease the domestic shortage.

However, many countries have declined to export eggs to the U.S., including Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Currently, Turkey and Mexico are the main suppliers to the American market. Many nations lack surplus eggs for export due to strong local demand or avian flu outbreaks. Moreover, U.S. sanitary requirements differ from those of other countries.

Import tariffs recently announced by Trump could further raise the prices of imported eggs.

According to a USDA report, from the beginning of the year to February 25, the U.S. imported 4.78 million dozen fresh eggs, a 478% increase over the same period last year, along with a rise in processed egg products. The report notes that replenishing stock and the evolution of avian flu outbreaks will be key in the coming weeks.

Source: Globo Rural

Sharing is caring!