The US has given the Netherlands the green light to resume the export of pasteurised egg products to the country.
The move comes amid spiralling egg prices due to the widespread avian influenza outbreak.
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The US Department of Agriculture said its Food Safety and Inspection Service had "determined that the country's food safety system continues to be equivalent to that of the US".
The Netherlands was first found equivalent to export pasteurized egg products in 1987. However, the country chose to stop exporting these products for several years, the USDA said. Last year, Dutch officials requested the reinstatement in order to export pasteurised egg products to the US.
According to the USDA's website, there have been 217 reported detections of avian influenza in the current outbreak. Over 46.7m birds have been affected.
US bakers welcomed the USDA's move to allow imports from the Netherlands but insisted the industry needed more assistance.
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By GlobalData"We are now at 35% of the egg product supply being taken offline due to the avian influenza. Opening imports from the Netherlands is a big step in the right direction, but more is needed," Cory Martin, director for government relations at the American Bakers Association, said. "We are facing a true crisis, and without additional actions to increase supply, bakers and many other food manufacturers face dire situations in the coming weeks and months."
