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Dozens of hatching eggs seized at Louisville customs: Here's why
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 39 hatching eggs in Louisville, Kentucky. The eggs were confiscated across three separate shipments.
Between March 6 and March 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 39 hatching eggs in Louisville, Kentucky. According to a press release from the agency, the eggs were confiscated across three separate shipments. The first two shipments, heading to New York and Nevada, came from Turkey, while the third shipment was en route to Costa Rica from Romania.
These eggs contained live chicks of game birds, racing pigeons, or other birds with a market demand. As live animals, hatching eggs are highly regulated at U.S. borders. Typically, these eggs are incubated, hatched, and raised. Smuggled eggs pose a significant risk, as they can carry the rapidly spreading avian influenza or bird flu.
“Hatching eggs are all avian species to include poultry, game birds, racing pigeons, and other birds--if there is a market for a live bird someone will try to import hatching eggs for them. These live eggs are shipped to the U.S. for hatching or reproduction purposes. The eggs are commonly destined to be incubated, hatched and then raised. For agriculture purposes, hatching eggs fall under the regulations for live animals (9CRF) and are highly regulated because they can carry Newcastle disease and/or Avian Influenza (HPAI),” the agency said in the press release.
In 2024, Louisville CBP Agriculture Specialists intercepted 25 shipments containing a total of 519 eggs, arriving from countries including Turkey, Belgium, Romania, and Singapore. These shipments were headed to locations within the U.S. and abroad.
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations at the Chicago Field Office, said in the release, “Our nation's food supply is constantly at risk to diseases not known to occur in the United States. These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP Agriculture Specialists demonstrate, daily. They ensure the United States is safe from harmful diseases, which could affect our food supply.”
