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Over the last year, the cost of eggs has become a major symbol for the way the average consumer views inflation and perceives the economy. During election season, someone even joked that the phrase, “But the price of eggs” was the new “But her emails.” During his campaign, Trump famously promised to lower the cost of everything “one day one.” Well, we’re two months into this, and even my local Costco temporarily raised the price of eggs. In addition to the rising costs, there are also area shortages so extreme that stores are limiting sales. Restaurants are even adding surcharges to breakfast staples like scrambled eggs. America’s egg issues are not entirely Trump’s fault per se. Trump just promised to lower costs, and we’re still waiting.
Our Canadian friends, however, are reportedly not experiencing any of these egg-related struggles. Although they’ve also been affected by avian flu, eggs are still readily available in grocery stores at affordable prices. The difference in price and cost mainly comes down to the way the poultry industry is run in each country. The most important one is that Canada has smaller poultry farms.
Why Canada is different: Canadian chickens can catch avian flu, just like their American cousins. But the impact on Canada’s egg supply has so far been limited. [Mike von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph, in Ontario,] suggests a number of explanations for that. It gets colder in Canada, so barns are more tightly sealed, which helps keep flu virus carried by wild birds out. Canada also has fewer free-range chickens, which are more susceptible to getting infected. But perhaps the biggest difference is that egg farms in Canada are much smaller, so when one farm does suffer a flu outbreak, the effects are less far-reaching. The typical egg farm in Canada has about 25,000 laying hens, whereas many farms in the U.S. have well over a million. In effect, American farmers have put a lot more of their eggs in a relatively small number of baskets.
“If individual farms represent a larger proportion of production, then when an individual farm is affected, you’re taking more of that supply, right?” von Massow says.
The rise of agribusiness: American egg farms weren’t always so big. The typical farm in the U.S. has quadrupled in size since the late 1990s, according to a paper co-authored by poultry economist Jada Thompson at the University of Arkansas. That’s partly because competitive pressure in the U.S. to produce cheap food encourages farmers to make it up with volume.
“These companies aren’t making tons of money per egg,” Thompson says. “They’re selling a lot of eggs.”
Eggs are usually cheaper in the US: Many farms in the U.S. rely on automated equipment that requires a large number of birds to operate efficiently. Most of the time, that industrialized agricultural model delivers cost savings for consumers. Eggs are typically cheaper in the U.S. than they are in Canada.
“The benefits have been affordable eggs at lower prices,” Thompson says. But there are also trade-offs, as the avian flu outbreak has highlighted. “If a disease gets in the house, now you have a much larger population that’s impacted,” Thompson says.
The trade-off: When avian flu is discovered on an egg farm, all the chickens on the farm are killed to limit the spread. More than 40 commercial egg farms suffered flu outbreaks in January and February alone, with a loss of more than 28 million chickens, according to USDA figures analyzed by the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. That’s about 9% of the country’s commercial egg-laying flock wiped out in just two months. It takes at least six months for newborn chicks to replace those laying hens. In the meantime, the U.S. egg supply will remain under pressure. While wholesale egg prices have fallen in recent weeks, Easter is around the corner, and the holiday typically brings a seasonal jump in egg demand.
“Less incentive to grow:” Large-scale egg farms aren’t the only choke points in the highly concentrated U.S. food supply. Recent years have shown how the closure of a few big slaughterhouses or a single baby formula factory can trigger price spikes and empty store shelves around the country. So, what has kept Canadian egg farmers relatively small? Von Massow points to Canada’s supply management system, which guarantees even small farmers enough income to stay in business.
“There is less incentive to grow because I can make money at this size,” he says. “There’s still an incentive to be efficient. But there’s not a requirement to get as big.”
Canada also restricts US farm imports: To keep its small farms viable, Canada also restricts imports of farm products like eggs and dairy from the U.S., which is one source of friction in the current trade war. Despite the trade war, the U.S. government has one potential solution to help meet demand and keep egg prices from climbing even higher: temporarily increasing egg imports.
It’s crazy that avian flu took out 9% of chickens in just two months. It’s so drilled into Americans that our way is the “right” way that we don’t always see the forest for the trees. Yes, having a million chickens on one farm is more profitable. But, if we’re not going to adapt our methods to account for things like bird flu, then we’re going to repeatedly run into these problems. The climate is changing and bringing a whole new set of issues with it. It would be nice if the current administration could offer guidance instead of denying it and leaving farmers high and dry.
Oh, and in a super fun turn of events, the Danish Egg Association said late last week that officials from the US Department of Agriculture had reached out to them about importing Danish eggs. Given that we’re currently in the middle of another stupid news cycle about annexing Greenland, I wouldn’t blame Denmark if they said no and told us to f-ck right off.
While the U.S. grapples with an egg shortage caused by avian flu, eggs remain plentiful and affordable in Canada. There are reasons for that, including that egg farms there tend to be smaller.
— NPR (@npr.org) March 18, 2025 at 2:52 PM
The eggs in Canada are so big and so plentiful they’re busting out of the cartons.
— Holly Hoye 🇨🇦 (@hollyhoye.bsky.social) March 16, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Photo note by Celebitchy: This picture of empty egg shelves was taken in South Carolina in early February by commenter Bluesky.
Sigh. Lately I’ve been dreaming of Canada annexing New England. It’s only two months in and we’re already in a 9 alarm fire–it’s only gonna get worse…
At the very least, I wish New England could secede, maybe take NY with us. The Fed government is not doing shit for Massachusetts at this point besides taking valuable funding away, raiding immigrant communities and imposing their will on our state.
TBH, I wouldn’t be surprised if people start fleeing the country soon. Eggs a plenty, universal healthcare, nice people…Canada is looking great.
Our cultures are very different. Canadians are not litigious, we prefer to resolve differences through negotiation and discussion. One thing I’ve noted about some Americans who come to Canada is that they want to proceed as they would in the US. In particular, there was a gentleman who took a case to the Supreme Court because he didn’t want to swear an oath to the crown which is required for citizenship. I believe his point was it violated his rights. 🙄
Good point. I used to work for a company that was headquartered in the US. One of their execs was moved to Canada to lead our tech side. In literally the first staff meeting he attended, he jumped up and started shouting that “we” needed to sue the Canadian government because he didn’t like the consumer protection and privacy laws the company had to abide by. The rest of us were all shooting looks across the table. He didn’t last long.
I can assimilate. I even speak French.
America? Never knew her.
Most Canadian provinces are Anglophone. Quebec, parts of Ontario (mostly eastern/Ottawa region), maybe some of New Brunswick – Francophone or mixed. Government speech documents, food labels etc. are bilingual but in day to day life the US seems to be more informally but comprehensively bilingual, English-Spanish. Which befits a country built partly out of former colonies of Spain.
That’s funny about the lawsuit about the oath. Most people just take it, knowing it’s a relic of the past. And I tell you what, Canadians who may appear to be all about process in person are not so nicey-nicey when they get behind the wheel!
JazzHands: OMG! Someone did not get to his cross-cultural training! Well, I hope he’s happy back in the land that’s gutting both regulations and privacy.
It’s funny how people assume that because the dominant (outside of Quebec and some other areas) is also English, that everything else will be the same. Anglophone Canadians, if raised or assimilated here, also USE the language differently. The way I often describe it is that Canada still looks like a car, but things work differently under the hood.
It’s not that Canadians are not litigious. It’s that Canada has serious cost consequences for the losing parties, so people think twice before they sue.
@Mina – I would bet that 99% of the people I know are not familiar with how a lawsuit would go in Canada. And I know plenty of people who have gotten ticked off at something/someone, and never mentioned wanting to sue. I think generally most people here just don’t even think of suing.
As a dual Canadian-US citizen living for a long time in Canada, I get a lot of inquiries and “friends” popping up. I know many of you are fighting for your rights and democracy. We will be too, in an upcoming federal election. Meantime, please express your displeasure about all this “annexation” (invasion) talk of allies such as Canada, Greenland/Denmark, and Panama to your officials of either party. It’s all about Putin wanting to claim the global North and its critical minerals and waterways. And if you’re at all serious about moving, please read the rules on the website of Immigration Canada, both about regular immigration and about claiming asylum for people who can document why they are endangered. In addition, Canada has considered the USA to be a “safe third country” for people coming through the US to Canada. That may, of course, change. Canada has also cut back its regular immigration amounts due to needing to catch up with infrastructure, but there are specified occupational needs. It’s been a different system from that of the USA for a long time. Good luck.
Thank you so much for this post — and your very helpful comments. I never imagined seriously wanting to emigrate, but the last 2 months of ongoing stress have started to chip away at my sense of safety and well-being. Something snapped in my brain yesterday when I learned that racially segregated facilities are no longer banned in federal facilities — thanks to active efforts on the part of Trump and his administration.
I half-joked a few weeks back about looking up and realizing that everything from my boots to my breakfast — and even my beloved guitar — came from Canada. I think there’s a chance that my skill set might be on the list of occupations that Canada might welcome. I run my mouth a lot — but I promise that I prioritize mutual respect, politeness, and playing well with others, and while I’m far from fluent, I can read and understand a bit of French. Right now, I’m still focused on righting my badly listing country. It’s good to know, though, that our Canadian neighbors are watching everything that’s going on here in the US — and that asylum might be a realistic option.
Blithe, good luck. Please do check the occupational listing – some things that used to be in demand have been fulfilled (some of them STEM), but others have popped up. Of course we need healthcare professionals in great quantities – but elementary ed/teachers aides etc. seem to be more in demand too, maybe because Canada has so many young families (created by recent immigrants), and maybe also because COVID has disabled so many schoolteachers, people have retired early, etc. The process is slow, so anyone who is serious can start filling out forms and filing them (lawyers are not necessarily required, tho they can help), which gives you time to make up your mind. And, if you get permanent residency (Green Card, but not green!), you will have a period of years during which you have to “land” and take on that official status. Think of it as an insurance policy: You don’t plan to crash your car, but you know it is a possibility as long as you stay out on the road. Two other points: You do not have to speak French unless you are applying specifically for Quebec residence (and as its own “nation,” Quebec may have its own immigration program). And, you can’t just fly in or drive up and stay! 6 months maximum for travel without work. So if you want to get your paperwork ducks in a row, you have to start now and see. Otherwise, it means filing a claim for asylum, and most “worried well” USians won’t be able (at this point) to claim imminent endangerment. Canada takes refugees, but they are screened just like any other immigrants for health and other factors, but with the addition of assessment of actual persecution. Oh, duh, the obvious way is to get a job offer from a Canadian organization and they will help you understand what you need. In fact, it’s way better to move with a job and not get here and then start looking.
Thank you very much for this additional information @Who WERE These People? I appreciate your kindness! My professional background involves providing healthcare in educational settings so: maybe. I’ll start looking into this today. I do like the idea of viewing this process as insurance. I hope I don’t need it in an emergency situation— but it does make sense to prepare for options as things to get worse here.
On a lighter note, it’s good to know that speaking French is not required. When I was in grad school, I had to pass a written exam in French (my choice from the options) to maintain matriculation in my program. I passed on my first try — but I think it’s because my score got rounded up! lol
I’m also considering US options in places that are likely to be more protected from the current chaos then my hometown is at the moment.
Again, thank you so much for your helpful suggestions!
The eggs are cheaper but the houses are still expensive.
That’s because the Mulroney government took the federal government out building affordable housing in the 80s and the Harper government poured government money into the private housing market in 2008.
Never forget that Conservative governments built this housing market.
Second what NotMika said. Both parts. And since, every type of government has been afraid to rattle the market because Baby Boomers own so much of it and count on those prices for their retirements. So policy has been driven around helping people buy, but nothing to lower prices or borrowing costs (which reset every few years – in effect, most Canadian mortgages are variable rate). But also, if you’re in the USA and looking at real estate websites, bear in mind houses and condos are priced in Canadian dollars, which will produce figures about 25% higher than the figures in US dollars. Makes things look extra expensive if you don’t do the math! We also had our early pandemic bumps in certain areas just as in the USA and prices may have stopped going up but they haven’t gone down a lot yet. Let’s see what recession brings. Meanwhile, our eggs are cheaper and available – and our dairy is great!
Even if you’re pricing in Canadian dollars, you’re still paying with Canadian wages and salaries so the housing is still out of reach for younger Canadians, at least if you live in a major city like Toronto. It might be cheaper if you’re an American Toronto Maple Leaf player paying with American currency but most people are not paying with American currency like an NHL star. You still have to think in terms of the currency you’’re actually using and paying for things with within the borders of that country to know whether your money is working for you or not.
Hmm: Yes I understand about salaries and housing costs not being aligned within country borders. I was addressing people in the USA who would be looking at Canadian real estate and not factoring in currencies. Sorry for the confusion. Of course it’s a big problem and it has to be taken seriously.
Some mismanagement has led to expensive housing; it’s not a fundamental flaw of the economy or permanent feature. We’ve had cheap housing in the past. In fact, Montreal is still very much a relatively affordable city in terms of rent. Halifax had notoriously low rents pre-Covid – lower than a city should have, and now rents have risen on par with those in bigger cities. What happened in Halifax already happened decades ago in most major US cities: it’s generally too expensive for lower-income people to live in the city itself. People get priced out to suburbs instead.
And “expensive” is all relative to salaries/COL plus hidden housing costs. Last I checked, property taxes were not as high in parts of Canada as in California, say.
The United States is a very expensive country to live in. You just manage your country in a peculiar way that tends to hide these expenses. But you pay a fortune for pharmaceuticals, for healthcare (copays! deductibles! premiums! taxes! out-of-pocket expenses! time spent wrangling with insurance!), for higher education, for private education where public education fails, for your multiple cars because you have terrible public transportation, and so on. You pay so much because, frankly, you have bad policies.
Well said. If Canada could get housing prices down, especially in the big cities, then the benefits of the other policies will be more obvious. People in the US get reamed on healthcare and higher ed. What I’d also like to see in Canada is way more “missing middle” housing (it’s either houses now too large for retirees, or “granite and stainless!” tiny apartments, plus townhouses with too many stairs for age and disability), and way better public transit — within cities, inter-regionally too. Commitment is so low for the latter, there’s always plans but they are like an oasis in the desert, way out in the distance.
Part of the problem is trying to find a house, at least if you live in a city like Toronto. There is a housing crisis and a shortage of residential houses. If you want to live in a shoebox condo, you’d likely be fine, but you’d still be paying a ton for it.
Also employment factors in. Most people prefer to live in Toronto because that’s where the jobs are.
If you’re from an ethnic community, you’d also prefer Toronto over other cities in Canada so that you avoid some of the problems that sometimes occur in more conservative, rural areas.
You could buy a cheaper house elsewhere (outside Ontario? ), but some of the social factors or other hassles might weigh on your mind. Each part of the country is very different and there tends to be a reason why people prefer to cluster in a city like Toronto.
Canada vaccinates its chickens and yes, doesn’t have those massive farms. It uses the supply management system (guaranteeing egg prices by managing supply) instead of subsidizing farmers, so it’s important to balance supply and demand. We do this with maple syrup and other products, too. What we don’t do is just subsidize farmers and let our agricultural subsidies then warp global agricultural markets like the United States does, ensuring poor farmers around the world remain poor. We have a superior management system yet the Great Orange Idiot sits there and accuses CANADA of being the recipient of American subsidies lol.
Late-stage capitalism hollows out every sector – the agricultural sector is not excluded. This is what Americans get after decades of pro-corporatist government at the expense of democracy/regulation. Enjoy!
Lort. Canada seems like paradise to my dark red state. I keep having dreams about living in Australia, the UK and Canada. I think a lot mangos rhetoric about annexing Canada was because so many people joked about Democratic lead states in New England and the Westcoast leaving the union and joining Canada after the election. The blue states fund the economy. The red states have been kept afloat for decades by blue states tax dollars. The blue states aren’t going to go back’erds because the white men in red states don’t want women, poc and people in the LBGTQ communities to have rights and opportunities.
Loving the trend of new stories where Americans learn that government regulations are good, actually.
And at least the “51st state” jokes are subsiding. Those really pissed us off.
Canada has the same population as does California, Try producing eggs on small farms for a population over 9 times that – you’ll need a lot of people who want to be egg farmers. And egg prices started going up here in Massachusetts after we enacted the cage-free law in 2022 – you could go to New Hampshire and buy eggs for half the price. But I agree, we should be doing a better job of supply management.
Having smaller farms isn’t just about feeding a smaller population it’s about being willing to have the costs of production be slightly higher, and the regular cost of eggs be slightly higher, in order to mitigate risk.
That’s actually a huge point of contention for Americans who move to Canada. We are more regulated, and our markets are more stable but sometimes those costs are passed on to consumers. You have to take the bad to get the good.
Sure, we accepted higher egg prices when we voted for cage-free farming in Massachusetts – 14 other states have done that and more states are making the transition. Still, it’s a different strategy to feed 340 million people than it is to feed 40 million.
Absolutely we have more regulation which increases cost. I’m currently only buying Canadian food and if I can’t find a Canadian option then I’ll look to Europe or other non-US sources. I don’t want to eat any American food not just as a way to fight back but because when you remove regulation from food production terrible things will happen. Regulations also stopped our banks from crashing back in the 2000s when all those US banks went under.
Yup, exactly. I’m so over people saying somehow population size limits policy efficacy. Um…so why does China have more accessible health care than the United States? Those excuses only hold up so long as there are no points of comparison to larger countries but increasingly, there are.
It’s not a different strategy to feed 340 million. The US’s approach is simply one that aligns with a late-stage capitalist model. There is no compelling NEED for monocrops and the over industrialization of agriculture. These are policy choices and please, please do not limit your imagination by telling yourself they are the only policy options because they are NOT.
A significant difference is that Canadians don’t feel the need to go around telling the world that we have the greatest country on Earth. We are far too modest for that, and – take note, bloviators – we respect the fact that others may hold differing views.
Are we smugly and silently revelling in the effect that our new-found patriotism is causing, at home and abroad? Perhaps. Are we tittering that the people and companies who took our financial support for granted now realize that we do have an impact? Maybe. Are we sad to see our friends and family suffering through the slow-motion decline of USA “exceptionalism”? Most definitely.
I’m Canadian and I’m just going to go ahead and say that I don’t count any Celebitches in the group of “bloviating Americans.” You guys are all cool as shit.
Thanks for saying this! It’s so embarrassing to be an American right now.
Not sure how you found a dig at CBers in what I wrote. It was clearly a crack at the loudmouthed leaders who are marching their own country into ruin, all the while proclaiming their superiority.
Having lived in both countries, can attest there are informed and ignorant people on both sides, American exceptionalism is real, and Canadian exceptionalism is also real but America is bigger, louder, and richer so everybody has to hear it. Most people who are content with and feel safe and secure where they were born/live will say they live somewhere special. Also, Canadians love to brag about being modest. I say with this affection, but square that circle. : )
Holy moly, I have been hearing about rising egg prices in the US, but I thought it was hyperbole. Apparently not! How long before we resurrect those old prohibition-era rum-running routes to smuggle eggs over our southern border?
No kidding. It’s probably happening already, but USians would have to come north given how most Canadians are afraid to enter the USA for fear of being shipped off to the Gulag.
The tunnels are still in place, allegedly. Essex county will once again become a hotbed of cross-border crime. Scrambled speakeasies! Omelette omertà!
our little border town in Quebec has quite a storied history. During Prohibition there was a building situated on the border that was a bar/speakeasy on the first floor and a brothel on the second floor. it was called “Queen Lil’s House of Sin”.
the entrance on the US side was on the second floor.
the Americans could take care of all their needs in one place, came and went without having to go through border control,
note that Prohibition was voted down in Canada after only 9 months, in the US it took years to get it repealed.
I live in Mexico and the eggs are cheap and delicious AND we have a female president 😍 (sorry to gloat!)
Very happy for you and I love your president! I am happy for everyone that can get to safety. I hope everyone here stays safe and has a plan. There are a ton of Reddit subs on emigrating to different countries and a ton of information about pets, kids, schools, housing markets, job markets (certain professions like teachers are in high demand in my province of Quebec) and being prepared for the worst. Reddit has saved me a ton of time by pointing me to the correct agencies (I am in the process of moving back to Canada and recently got a ton of advice about taking my car (I may sell the car and not take it I am still deciding)).
If you see this, Bienvenue on your return.
Cars: Importation is a pain in the you-know-what so it depends if that particular car is of great value to you. Also, if it doesn’t have daytime running lights, you may have to have those installed in Canada (check the province). On the other hand, cars here are more expensive and supply is more limited, plus high sales tax. Choose your poison!
Agree, Rosie. Denmark should tell the US to go f*ck itself. No you cannot have eggs, no you cannot have Greenland. Follow the example of the Norwegian fuel company refusing to refuel US military ships.
I bought 24 free run eggs for 9.99$ yesterday (Québec province). The exact same one as in the first photo!! It’s cheaper if it’s not free run.
That would be (as of today’s conversion rate) $6.97 USD. At my Ontario supermarket (large chain), a dozen large eggs is $3.93 CAD and extra large eggs $4.63 CAD. Just plain old eggs. Free run eggs are above $7.
I’m sorry but : why the f would Trump and his fascist idiots ask for Denmark’s help with eggs of all countries ?
Because if Denmark says “NO” he can add it to his list of grievances and justifications for aggression against Denmark via Greenland. He’ll probably ask Canada for eggs, too. Keep complaining about the price of eggs, folks. This gets under his skin.
I saw the NPR story linked in a Canadian subreddit, and in the comments, a Canadian chicken farmer said it’s not just smaller size and more air tight barns that suppress disease spread in Canadian flocks. They talked about governing bodies that closely monitor health, and immediately step up inspections, not just of the farm in question, but farms inside a radius around the affected farm if mortality goes up a little, and the practice of workers changing boots and clothes when moving between barns. They said it blew their minds that American poultry workers were not required to change even boots between barns.
Canada has better regulation. In some areas, it’s over regulated imo — it’s a cautious country, and I do think that stifles competitiveness in markets. That said, it is a relatively well governed country in terms of standards. Meanwhile, the US has framed regulation as an assault on freedom. Well, poor regulation heightens the impact of market disruption.
I’m from Nova Scotia. A flat of 30 eggs currently costs me 10.99. I bought 2 a few weeks ago. I like to bake.
Im lucky in that when I moved in to my apt 30 years ago, it was less than 500 per month and my landlord wanted long term tenants in this 100plus year old house. Even now with new owners, there is a rent increase cap so it’s still affordable.
Hospital stays and procedures are free as are doctor visits. Canada is a good place to live.
It’s price-gouging. Matt Stoller has a Substack post about how American industrial egg producers have throttled the egg supply and made record profits.
Just like supermarkets did during lockdown. Their shareholders received record profits during that period, when they doubled the price of things like oatmeal just because they felt like it.
oooo – ersatz powdered eggs comin’ right up from The Good Old Days.
I wonder what the price difference is. Like $1.99 to $4.99 isn’t that bad. But $4.99 to $8.50 feels much worse.
I mean, the egg farms are smaller in Canada because they’re feeding only 12% of our population. That the shortage exists due to a bird epidemic in a country this size is not the shocking part. It’s that we have a government completely disinterested in doing anything to properly address the crisis or control the price gouging that’s the real scandal, but hey, that’s what America voted for. That’s the reality we get. #winning!!