So far, the USDA has spent more than $670 million to contain highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and to indemnify owners for their losses, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Outlays included more $414 million in compensation for “depopulated” birds and eggs, $142 million to cull flocks, dispose of dead birds and activities to kill the virus, and $114 million in personnel, state agreements and field costs.
The current outbreak is the worst ever in terms of the number of birds infected by HPAI or culled to prevent its spread. Bird flu spreads quickly and has a high mortality rate, so it is standard procedure for animal health officials to kill all the birds when tests confirm a flock is infected.
Egg production in January was 6% smaller than a year earlier, the latest in a string of months in which bird flu reduced the number of egg-laying hens and egg production. The U.S. flock was 5% smaller than in January 2022.
Vaccines are an option that is under research, said a USDA spokesperson. “First and foremost, however, we are pursuing collaborative efforts with poultry farmers and companies on education, training and implementation of comprehensive biosecurity measures. Biosecurity is the best and most prudent approach we have to mitigate the impact of the disease today.”
Iowa, the No. 1 egg state, has lost nearly 16 million birds — mostly laying hens in the current outbreak. Thirteen outbreaks have been confirmed in early March, three in commercial flocks and 10 in backyard flocks.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
If you want to know why egg and poultry prices have escalated so rapidly in recent months, look no further. Bird Flu has decimated the nation’s poultry flock and reduced egg production dramatically. At the same time, consumer demand has increased, thus, leading to very high prices for both eggs and poultry meat. There is some indication that prices could moderate soon, but don’t expect them to go back to pre-pandemic (HPAI) levels immediately.
