The U.S. is making more seizures of illegal eggs than fentanyl at its Canadian and Mexican borders – The Logic

United States customs officers are making more seizures of poultry products, including eggs, than fentanyl, according to an analysis of official data by The Logic.

The U.S. has reported a 36 per cent jump in people trying to bring eggs into the country illegally since October, compared to the same period last year, as avian flu drives up costs. At the northern border with Canada, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Detroit field office also recorded a 36 per cent increase during the same period. The San Diego field office, close to the border with Tijuana, Mexico, saw the number of egg seizures fly up 158 per cent.

These statistics reveal that, since October, U.S. CBP officers have made 3,768 seizures of bird and poultry-related products at all U.S. borders, compared to 352 fentanyl seizures in the same period. Bringing fresh eggs into the U.S. is illegal because of concerns about diseases. The same goes for raw chicken and other unprocessed bird products.

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.” Less than one per cent of fentanyl seizures occur at the U.S.’s northern border.

Though Canada has fared far better during the avian flu outbreak, the U.S. hasn’t approached the Canadian government to help with temporary imports, said Annie Cullinan, press secretary for Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay. “But we’re always happy to discuss how we can support our trading partners,” Cullinan added.

Even if Canada were keen to help out its southern neighbours during the tariff war, it probably couldn’t, said Bruce Muirhead, a University of Waterloo professor who studies transnational agricultural models. At least, not on an emergency basis. “It would take at least eight months to even begin to contemplate supplying them with more eggs,” he said.