U.S. Agriculture secretary meets with Mount Pleasant chicken farmers, says plan to combat bird flu imminent

Published 5:35 am Thursday, February 27, 2025

: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is seen Feb. 24 in an egg-laying facility in Bogata. (Contributed Photo)

From Staff Reports

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Mount Pleasant last week, telling chicken farmers that the Trump administration could soon roll out a plan to combat the spread of bird flu.

Rollins also warned consumers that egg prices could continue to rise in the short-term as bird flu continues to decrease egg production, but she said the Trump administration will “fix” the issue, WFAA reported.

Rollins, who took office Feb. 13, met with nearly two dozen agricultural producers during a roundtable discussion Feb. 24 at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center. Mount Pleasant is the largest town in Titus County, a top chicken-producing county in Texas, WFAA reported.

The rapid spread of avian flu poses significant threats to chicken flocks, killing millions of chickens and subsequently causing egg prices to rise significantly in the past year, CBS News reported.

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Traditionally, the approach to fighting bird flu has been to kill every chicken in an affected flock. However, Rollins said the Trump administration’s plan could include alternatives to whole-flock slaughter, WFAA reported.

As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, some employees who were working on the federal response to bird flu were terminated, ABC News reported. However, Rollins confirmed that those essential employees have been rehired.

NewsNation reported Friday that egg prices have reached $8.03 per dozen based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s an increase of $3.42 since Jan. 10.

“Those prices should start coming down maybe this spring, this summer as we work to implement some of these bigger picture solutions,” Rollins told CBS News. “Once we’re past Easter, then we’ll hopefully have some really good solutions for the American people.”

While in Northeast Texas, Rollins toured an egg-laying facility in Bogata, according to a USDA news release.

Rollins is a native of Glen Rose.