The United States was one of the world's leading producers and exporters of eggs from 1994 to 1998 and likely will dominate the world market in the future, says the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in its report Industry and Trade Summary: Eggs.

The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding agency, recently released the report as part of an ongoing series of reports on thousands of products imported into and exported from the United States. Following are highlights from the report.

• The U.S. egg industry historically has been oriented toward the domestic market, which is the third largest in the world (behind China and the European Union (EU)). However, between 1994 and 1998, the period covered by the report, U.S. exports rose by more than 18 percent to 325 million dozen, equivalent to almost 5 percent of domestic production. The United States is the second largest exporter of eggs (just behind the EU) and in 1998 accounted for about one-third of world exports. Principal markets included Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, and the EU.

• During 1994-98, the average annual value of U.S. egg shipments was about $5.3 billion, consisting of $1.2 billion of hatching eggs, $3.2 billion of table eggs, and $0.9 billion of egg products. There are about 73,000 U.S. egg farms, and annual employment in the egg products industry is approximately 8,000 persons. U.S. imports of eggs are negligible, at less than 0.5 percent of consumption. Endowed with a favorable climate, state-of-the-art production technology, and advantageous cost and market structures, the U.S. egg industry is among the most efficient in the world.

• World trade in egg products is restricted as a result of both tariff and nontariff measures. For example, tariffs on U.S. product exported to Canada, Mexico, and Japan are in excess of 20 percent ad valorem, while nontariff barriers, such as sanitary certification, shelf-life, and labeling requirements also represent obstacles for U.S. exports.

• The principal U.S. consumers of egg products include households, restaurants, institutions, and producers of further processed products. At the retail level, changes in consumer incomes and retail prices for egg products relative to meats are the principal factors influencing demand. Other factors affecting consumption include advertising, promotion, and concern about health and nutrition.

The foregoing information is from the ITC report Industry and Trade Summary: Eggs (USITC Publication 3268, December 1999).

ITC Industry and Trade Summary reports include information on product uses, U.S. and foreign producers, and customs treatment of the products being studied; they analyze the basic factors affecting trends in consumption, production, and trade of the commodities, as well as factors bearing on the competitiveness of the U.S. industry in domestic and foreign markets.

This report will be available on the ITC Internet web site at www.usitc.gov. A printed copy may be ordered without charge by calling (202) 205-1809, or by writing the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be faxed to (202) 205-2104.