The White House Easter Egg Roll is a Washington tradition that draws thousands of children to the South Lawn each spring. But egg prices have been at record highs, making the Easter fun and games at the White House more costly this year.

What You Need To Know

  • The American Egg Board confirms farmers will contribute about 30,000 eggs to this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll

  • Last year’s event used about 64,000 eggs. The American Egg Board says the change is due to the Trump administration’s new approach to hosting activities for the event

  • American egg farmers have had a tough year, with the avian flu leading to the loss of more than 30 million birds this year alone
  • Despite the challenges facing farmers, Emily Metz of the American Egg Board says farmers will still donate eggs, because “Easter is our holiday”

“We'll once again have eggs being used in the Easter Egg Roll, the Easter egg hunt ... and then there'll be dyeing and decorating eggs like they always do every year,” said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board.  

The Egg Board has been busy preparing for this year’s event, where American farmers will donate about 30,000 eggs. That’s less than half of the eggs used last year. It’s a change the board attributes to the new administration.  

“They have new ideas for how they'd like the Easter Egg Roll to look and feel, and what activities they'd like to present for the children,” Metz explained.  

The Easter Egg Roll comes at a difficult time for farmers. An avian flu outbreak has led to the loss of more than 30 million birds this year, reducing the supply of eggs and raising prices.

“Our egg farmers have been devastated by this disease,” Metz said. “Not a single farmer is untouched by this virus. And what I mean by that is, yes, farms, not all farms have had the virus, but every farmer that I work for has been impacted by having to be hyper vigilant. Has been impacted by living in fear that their farm might be next.”

Last month’s Consumer Price Index showed the cost of a dozen grade-A eggs hit a record high. Prices are beginning to come down, and the Trump administration hopes the importing of millions of eggs over the next several months will continue the trend.  

“Right now we’ve got Turkey and South Korea importing eggs,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

These eggs will not go directly to stores, but will instead be used inside other products.  

Despite the crisis in their industry, farmers are still donating eggs to the White House Easter Egg Roll.  

“My farmers feel that even in these very challenging times, Easter is our holiday. You can't have Easter without eggs,” Metz said. “The White House Easter Egg Roll is a time-honored tradition, and you can't have the Easter Egg Roll without eggs.”