Since October 2024, US customs officials at the Canadian and Mexican borders have intercepted 3,768 shipments of poultry products, including eggs. That's compared to 352 seizures of fentanyl.
Compared to last year, that comes out to 36% more poultry product seizures. It's illegal to bring fresh eggs and unprocessed bird bits into the US due to the risk of spreading disease—like avian flu. Of course, the avian flu outbreak has driven up egg prices which is exactly why people are smuggling them into the US.
From The Logic:
The increase in egg smuggling comes as President Donald Trump wages a trade war with Canada and Mexico which he has attempted to justify by declaring a national emergency on border security related to illegal drugs and migration.
The number of fentanyl seizures versus the number of egg seizures has raised eyebrows at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "As serious as combatting illegal fentanyl is, its link to these trade decisions is highly questionable," said Matthew Holmes, chief of public policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "It appears there are more eggs being smuggled into the U.S. from Canada right now than fentanyl."
(via Dave Pell's NextDraft)
Previously:
• Two more cats die from bird flu after drinking tainted raw milk
• Prediction markets bet against bird flu becoming the next COVID-19
• Dr. Deborah Birx: 'Our agencies are making the same mistakes they made with COVID'
