Eggs being smuggled from Mexico

Chicken is the most widely consumed animal product in Belize with thousands eating it stewed, fried or in tacos every day. But the industry that provides thousands of jobs and birds for the local dinner table is under threat from something that looks quite innocent: white eggs. The Ministry of Agriculture is asking Belizeans not to buy the white eggs that suddenly appeared on the local market about a week ago. The reason? They are being smuggled in from Mexico and may be contaminated with one of the two poultry diseases that Belize has so far kept out of its borders. Chief Agricultural Officer Sergio Garcia says because Mexican eggs can carry Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease, the ministry will establish checkpoints in the north next week. They will also conduct spot checks at shops and markets in the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts. Garcia says while they are hoping that merchants and vendors comply with the ban voluntarily, they have the legal right to confiscate any white eggs they find and violators could be fined. White eggs are not produced locally because of the breeds of chicken and feeds used and no permits have been issued for their importation. The general public is asked to refrain from buying the white eggs and help protect the local poultry industry.