OMAHA, Nebraska: Vaccines could help stop bird flu and prevent the mass killing of chickens, which has driven egg prices up to nearly $6 per dozen.

However, officials have delayed using vaccines because they are concerned they could hurt chicken exports, which are worth billions of dollars each year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to spend US$100 million to study bird flu vaccines in partnership with the poultry industry. This is part of a more significant $1 billion effort to protect farms from the virus, which President Donald Trump believes will help lower egg prices.

Meat chicken producers are the most resistant to vaccines because they worry about losing exports. Last year, the U.S. exported $4.7 billion worth of chicken meat. Egg and turkey producers, who sell primarily in the U.S., have suffered the most from the virus.

Without vaccines, the government will continue killing infected flocks to stop the spread. Since 2022, over 166 million birds have been culled in the U.S., mostly egg-laying hens. This has caused egg prices to rise, with the average reaching $5.90 per dozen and even higher in some areas.

Poultry expert Simon Shane said the government hesitates to change its approach mainly due to opposition from the meat chicken industry. He believes the issue gained attention because high egg prices have embarrassed the administration.

Before using vaccines, officials must create a system to track outbreaks in vaccinated flocks, said John Clifford, a former USDA veterinary officer. The industry will also need to negotiate trade agreements to avoid export bans.

Some experts worry that vaccinating chickens could allow the virus to stay hidden in flocks and mutate, potentially posing a greater risk to humans. While cooking chicken properly kills bird flu, the industry wants to keep infected birds out of the food supply altogether.

Meat chickens, or broilers, are not as affected by bird flu because they are slaughtered at 6 to 8 weeks old while egg-laying hens live for about two years. Also, most broilers are raised in the Southeast, where outbreaks have been less severe than in the Midwest and West.

Another challenge is vaccine distribution. Egg farmers prefer vaccines to be given through feed or water instead of individual shots, which would be impractical for millions of birds.

Other countries already vaccinate their poultry. In Mexico, infected flocks are not culled, meaning the virus remains in the poultry population. In China, vaccinated flocks are still culled if infections are found, which helps control outbreaks. If the U.S. adopts vaccines, it may still need to cull infected flocks and might focus vaccination efforts only on egg-laying hens and turkeys, not broilers.

Despite these discussions, vaccines will not be used immediately. Even if the government approves them, replacing lost hens takes time—new hens take 20 weeks to start laying eggs.

Egg prices may drop slightly later this year if major farms in California, Iowa, and Ohio avoid new outbreaks. The USDA expects prices to be about 41 percent higher than in 2024, averaging around $4.47 per dozen, which is still below current levels.