- The US is seeking Denmark’s help to solve its egg crisis.
- Egg prices in the US are at a record high due to a major outbreak of avian influenza.
- Relations are tense between the countries, following Trump’s comments about Greenland.
The US and Denmark may be at odds over Greenland, but when it comes to solving its egg shortage, Washington is looking to Copenhagen for help.
Jørgen Nyberg Larsen, CEO of the Danish Egg Association, told Business Insider that his trade group received a message from a US Department of Agriculture regional attaché on February 28, inquiring about Denmark’s willingness to export eggs.
In the email, forwarded to BI, the Danish Egg Association was asked a series of yes-or-no questions about Denmark’s willingness to supply the US with table and breaker eggs.
Table eggs are sold in-shell, while breaker eggs are sold in liquid form.
The email noted “surging egg prices” in the US, with the agency inquiring about the estimated volume of eggs Denmark could export over six months, as well as the industry’s familiarity with export regulations.
“I answered that we were positive to helping our American friends and then I asked some specific questions on the conditions,” Larsen told BI.
Egg prices in the US hit a record high in February; between December 2024 and January 2025, egg prices saw their biggest spike in 10 years, driving up the cost of grocery shopping.
This was caused by a widespread outbreak of avian influenza, or H5N1 bird flu.
As of February 7, the USDA reported that 116.9 million “layer” hens — chickens bred for egg production — had been removed from the population.
Emily Metz, president of the American Egg Board, said in a statement this week that the outbreak was disrupting supply and causing price volatility.
The latest consumer price index, released Wednesday, shows that in February, a dozen Grade A eggs cost an average of nearly $5.90 in US cities, surpassing January’s then-record high of $4.95.
The US appeal for egg imports comes at a time when relations between the US and Denmark are unusually tense.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken about taking control of Greenland, a part of the Danish commonwealth that has had self-rule since 1979, and has even refused to rule out using military force. Denmark is a member of NATO.
Last month, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that Denmark was not a “good ally.” And during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week, Trump said he thought Greenland’s annexation would happen and questioned Denmark’s claim to the territory.
Those threats have not gone unnoticed. On Thursday, Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told local media that he did not see “any indication whatsoever that Greenlanders want to be Americans”.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with Time magazine last month that she hopes “everybody respects our territorial integrity like anywhere else in the world.”
As for the transatlantic egg inquiry, Larsen said he sent his positive responses to Washington, but has yet to receive a reply.
USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
