Despite a major federal investment to help egg and poultry producers bounce back from bird flu losses, finding eggs at a reasonable price — or any eggs at all — remains a tough task for shoppers across the U.S. In January, egg prices rose 15.2%, and economists say they expect prices to continue to rise this year. The increase is due to the limited number of hens laying eggs right now. There are fewer hens because of federal bird flu control measures. They require farmers to kill their chickens if they discover a bird flu case in a flock — a process known as "culling" — to try to prevent the viral disease from spreading.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced a $1 billion-dollar comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices. This is in addition to funding already being provided to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks. As the Secretary detailed in the Wall Street Journal, the five-pronged strategy includes an additional $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million in financial relief for affected farmers, and $100 million for vaccine research, action to reduce regulatory burdens, and exploring temporary import options.

Industry experts know the solution to the current egg crisis will not be a quick fix, but they do believe U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ $1 billion comprehensive strategy to address the issue is a critical step forward. Farmers told FOX Business they support the focused effort to protect egg-laying hens from highly pathogenic avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, believing it will help stabilize the U.S. egg supply and reduce prices. Rollins' "five-pronged strategy" is aimed at curbing the growing number of bird flu outbreaks that began in 2022 and have since decimated flocks around the country and created a significant shortage in the U.S. egg supply. As part of its plan, the government agency plans to invest an additional $500 million into biosecurity measures, $400 million in financial relief for affected farmers and $100 million for vaccine research. The department is also looking to find way to reduce regulatory burdens and explore temporary import options.

USDA plan to combat bird flu includes almost $1 billion in subsidies to help farmers. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Leah Douglas, agriculture and energy reporter at Reuters, about the $1billion plan. The U.S. Agricultural Department has announced a new effort to fight bird flu.

2 News Oklahoma's Clifton Haskin listened to a farmer's concerns in Kellyville and contacted the USDA for answers.