Depth | Egg, New Bitcoin On the border between the United States and Mexico, law enforcement officers are accustomed to seizing drugs and illegal immigrants, but recently they have faced an unexpected new challenge - smuggling eggs. According to The Wall Street Journal, the US Customs and Border Protection intercepted a truck in El Paso, Texas, which not only contained 29 kilograms of methamphetamine, but also a surprising amount of smuggled eggs cleverly hidden in the seats and tires. This is no longer an isolated case. Since the beginning of this year, about 90 "egg smugglers" have been arrested in El Paso alone. The number of smuggled egg cases intercepted at the US border has increased by 36% compared to the same period last year, and the San Diego area has more than doubled. In February of this year, a shocking "Egg Robbery" occurred in Pennsylvania, where about 100000 eggs worth over $40000 were stolen from an egg supplier's delivery trailer. A few days later, an egg theft occurred at a caf é in Seattle, where two male suspects stole 540 eggs. Eggs, a daily food on the dining table, have now become a popular smuggled item along with drugs at the border, reflecting the crazy surge in domestic egg prices in the United States. In February of this year, the price of eggs in the United States rose by an astonishing 58.8% year-on-year, with an average price of nearly $8 per dozen eggs, and in some areas even soaring to over $10. In Mexico, the same egg price is only one-third of that in the United States. Due to reduced supply, supermarkets and grocery stores in many parts of the United States have posted limited purchase notices on egg shelves, and some stores' high priced eggs were quickly sold out. A hen rental company called "Rent the Chicken" in New Hampshire quickly became popular, and customers can rent two hens for about $600 for six months to obtain eggs steadily. Eggs are becoming the new 'Bitcoin' under the tariff war. Dual crackdown on avian influenza and policies The root cause of this' egg crisis' can be traced back to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at the end of 2024. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, over 6 million laying hens have been forced to be culled in California alone to prevent the spread of the epidemic. Across the United States, avian influenza has hit almost all states, with Indiana and Ohio experiencing the most severe outbreaks. A egg farmer named John Parker sadly stated that he had to slaughter a full 150000 chickens, and the production line was completely shut down, which would take at least six months to return to normal. In addition to avian influenza, the "non captive" policies implemented by some states in the United States have also exacerbated supply shortages. Currently, ten densely populated states including California, Massachusetts, and Washington have passed laws requiring eggs to only come from cage free environments. Although this farming method is more humane, it is also more susceptible to the impact of the epidemic. Agricultural analyst Brian Ernest pointed out, "Once an outbreak occurs on these cage free farms, the speed of replenishing supply will become extremely slow At the same time, Americans' demand for eggs continues to rise. The popularity of high protein, low-carbon water diets, as well as the rise of chain restaurants serving breakfast all day, have all driven an increase in egg consumption. Under the dual pressure of supply and demand, the US Department of Agriculture predicts that the shortage of eggs may continue throughout 2025, with the specific recovery time depending on the control of avian influenza and the speed of aquaculture recovery. Cal Main Foods, one of the largest egg producers in the United States and a publicly traded egg company, has seen its profits continue to soar, with its stock price rising by about 50% in the past year. The 'tariff stick' adds insult to injury Faced with the tight supply of eggs domestically, the US government has attempted to seek external assistance. In March of this year, the United States asked European countries such as Denmark if they could export eggs, but was politely refused by many countries. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, the United States has imported over 1.6 million dozen eggs in the first two months of 2025. Agriculture Minister Brooke Rawlings said publicly that the government plans to import eggs from Türkiye, South Korea and other countries to alleviate domestic shortages. However, the "reciprocal tariffs" policy implemented by the Trump administration has added insult to injury to this emergency measure. Egg exporting countries such as Türkiye and South Korea are now facing high tariffs and import costs have increased significantly. US Agriculture Secretary Rollins has issued a warning that this move is likely to lead to another short-term increase in US egg prices. Financial analysts warn that retailers and suppliers are likely to pass on these rising costs to American consumers who are already struggling to cope with high prices. In the current tariff war, eggs on the dining table have also been placed on the negotiating table of politicians. Indonesian Minister of Food Coordination Zulkifli Hassan said that these eggs could become a tool for negotiations with the United States on imposing a 32% "mutual" tariff on Indonesia. Indonesia has great potential in supplying eggs to countries affected by the avian influenza epidemic, including the United States. Eggs, the new Bitcoin American eggs have become a peculiar 'hard currency'. In Silicon Valley, where the egg shortage is severe, a tech company employee self mockingly said, "We discuss how to use AI to change the world during the day, but queue up to buy a box of eggs that hold more value than the Bitcoin I hold Bitcoin is highly sought after due to its scarcity (with a constant total of 21 million pieces), while eggs in the United States have also skyrocketed in price due to limited supply. Avian influenza has killed millions of laying hens, equivalent to a "halving" event in the Bitcoin world, suddenly reducing market supply. Even more interestingly, both eggs and Bitcoin have given rise to similar social phenomena. In the Bitcoin world, "brick laying" (arbitrage) is a well-known way to make money. Investors take advantage of price differences between different exchanges to buy and sell, and profit from it. The most typical example is the so-called "Kimchi Premium" - the Bitcoin price on the Korean exchange is consistently higher than the global average, sometimes with a price difference of over 20%. Smart traders will buy Bitcoin in the international market and then sell it at a high price on the Korean exchange to earn the price difference. Although this arbitrage behavior is theoretically simple, it faces multiple obstacles in practical operation, such as regulation, capital flow restrictions, and transaction fees. Nowadays, "egg smugglers" on the US Mexico border are also conducting similar operations. They purchase eggs in Mexico for about $1.7 per dozen, and sell them in the United States for $8 or even higher after crossing the border, earning over 400% profit. This kind of 'laying bricks with eggs' is similar to Bitcoin arbitrage, only replacing digital assets with physical commodities. Bitcoin is mined by "miners", while hens are the new mining machines. Many American households have started to "dig eggs" in their backyard, and some Meta employees have been referred to as "truly wealthy people" by their colleagues for raising chickens in their backyard to achieve "egg self-sufficiency". Egg smugglers and early underground Bitcoin exchanges share a similar strategy, as they both evade regulation and seek arbitrage opportunities brought about by price differences. The only difference is that the value of Bitcoin is based on consensus, while the value of eggs stems from the most basic survival needs. When the price of an ordinary egg reaches 6 yuan, we cannot help but ask: in an era of sustained inflation, frequent black swan events, and supply chain disruptions, what will be the next 'Bitcoin'? Will there be more daily necessities that become the new 'hard currency' due to supply shortages? The answer may be yes, on April 9th at 12:01, the United States imposed a 104% tariff on Chinese products. As long as there is a profit of 10%, it will be used everywhere; 20%, it will become lively; 50%, it will cause positive risk-taking; 100%, it will make people disregard the law; 300%, it will make people not afraid of crime, even the danger of hanging their heads Driven by interests, the future US Mexico border may also be filled with various Chinese goods. This' egg crisis' may just be a microcosm of the new normal in the US and even the global economy. A new storm is about to emerge, and everything has just begun.