Summary
Finland has declined a U.S. request to export eggs amid a severe American shortage caused by bird flu.
The Finnish Poultry Association cited the lack of prior trade agreements and complex regulatory hurdles. Even if exports were possible, Finland’s limited egg production would not significantly impact the U.S. crisis.
Other European nations, including Sweden and Denmark, also face difficulties meeting U.S. demand, while Europe grapples with its own egg shortages.
The U.S. has turned to countries like Turkey and the Netherlands for supplies as bird flu remains a global issue.
Egg prices aren’t high solely because of bird flu. They’re high because of regional monopolies and a price fixing cartel. The largest egg producers are seeing record profits.
I hope it’s clear that I’m not saying bird flu doesn’t exist or affect prices. I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist. But if I had to guess, I’d say it’s 10% bird flu and 90% companies raising prices in unison because they can blame bird flu. If it were just bird flu, the companies would be losing money.
NB: it feels very weird to call them “egg producers” because hens are the actual egg producers. Egg distributors, maybe? In any case, the distributors are doing fine and their only competition in most regions are small, organic farms whose eggs were already $7 a dozen. It’s just the low end of the market that’s gone crazy.