Officials said they will budget $500m for biosecurity measures, roughly $100m for vaccine research and development, and $400m for farmer financial relief programs.

More than 35 million birds have been killed in response to bird flu outbreaks in commercial flocks this year, according to USDA data.

The bird culling has caused the average price for a dozen eggs in the US to hit $5 in January, a 53% increase from 2024 – and the USDA said prices could rise an additional 41%.

The Trump administration said it will provide commercial egg farms with best practices and consulting services for free, and pay up to 75% of the costs to address vulnerabilities to help prevent the spread of bird flu.

To address the threat of an egg shortage for US consumers, the government said it was willing to consider temporarily importing eggs that meet US safety standards.

The USDA also said it will eliminate regulations that they say raise the cost of eggs.

The policy changes are not expected to have an immediate affect on egg prices, USDA secretary Brooke Rollins told the BBC’s media partner CBS News.

“This is more of a long-term solution, but what I can say is that those prices should start coming down maybe this spring, this summer as we work to implement some of those bigger-picture solutions,” Rollins said.

Soaring egg prices in the US have had some surprising knock on effects.

In New York City, where a dozen eggs can fetch $14, some stores have reportedly started successfully selling single eggs – called “loosies” – to those unwilling to shell out for a full dozen.

In February, thieves in Pennsylvania stole over 100,000 eggs worth $40,000 from the back of a lorry.

The heist targeted the back of a lorry at Pete & Gerry’s Organics in Greencastle on 1 February, police say.

It comes as the price of eggs has risen amid a bird flu epidemic, making them an unexpectedly costly menu option. The national chain Waffle House has just hiked their egg charge.

Prices for eggs have surged more than 65% in the last year, US government data shows. The agriculture department predicted the cost will increase by about 20% in 2025.

On Tuesday, Waffle House announced a $0.50 surcharge for customers to shell out per egg.

The US diner chain called it a “temporary targeted surcharge tied to the unprecedented rise in egg prices”.

The bird flu epidemic started in 2022 and has led to outbreaks across the US in recent months, according to the agriculture department.

The agency noted prices increased by more than 8% in December alone.

Data from the department also shows the average price for a carton was $2.51 in December 2023 and hit $4.15 a year later. The surge has seen reports of bare shelves in some stores.

The bird flu epidemic has been reported in birds, cattle and mammals across the US, though infection of humans is very rare.