The March USDA Poultry Outlook reported that the inventory of table egg layers was 291.5 million on the first of February, down nearly 6% year over year. Over 30.3 million birds in 2025 to date have been infected with HPAI. At the end of February, Secretary Rollins and the USDA announced a $1 billion strategy to combat HPAI. A progress report on March 20th, reported that the expansion of biosecurity assessments has prioritized table egg layer facilities, secured egg import commitments from Turkey and South Korea, along with increasing the indemnity rate for layer hens to $16.94 per bird.

While the USDA does have an indemnity program to provide some financial relief to farmers, the...