One-fourth of U.S. losses to bird flu in outbreaks that began in early 2022 were recorded in the past three months, when the viral disease staged a resurgence, according to USDA data recently released. Some 20.9 million birds were culled in infected domestic flocks from October through December 2023 to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or bird flu).
Bird flu hit egg farms so severely in 2022 that egg prices soared 32% above the 2021 average, the largest increase for any of the food categories tracked by the USDA during a year of high food inflation. With flocks rebuilt, egg prices rose only marginally in 2023 and were forecast to fall 12% this year.
However, “HPAI was confirmed in egg layers in November 2023 for the first time since December 2022. Price impacts of the outbreak will be monitored closely,” said USDA economists two weeks ago.
A total of 79.7 million domestic birds, mostly egg-laying hens and turkeys being raised for human consumption, have died from HPAI or in eradication efforts since the first confirmed outbreak on February 8, 2022. Since then, the disease has been confirmed in 1,059 flocks in 47 states. Because bird flu can wipe out a flock quickly, standard practice for agricultural officials is to kill all the birds in an infected flock and monitor nearby farms in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
Looking at cases confirmed over the last 30 days provides the best picture of how the virus is currently impacting U.S. birds, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which compiled the database. It is expected the number of cases will ebb and flow as the level of virus continues to change in different areas based on wild bird movement.
HPAI is most prevalent during the cold months. Officials say the disease is spread by migratory waterfowl. They advise owners to keep their flocks away from wild birds and to follow biosecurity practices, such as changing footwear, to prevent accidental contamination of bird housing. The ongoing HPAI outbreak is the worst U.S. animal disease event ever and is far larger than the 2014-15 outbreak that killed 50 million birds in commercial flocks.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Over the past couple of years, we have kept you informed about bird flu (HPAI) for several reasons. First, it is a really big deal to both producers and consumers. The loss of nearly 80 million birds is not easy to replace quickly. This epidemic also impacts prices at the grocery store for items, such as eggs, chicken and turkey meat. As the article points out, we definitely saw the impact in 2022. What’s in store for 2024 remains to be seen, but with incidences on the rise it would not be unreasonable for consumer prices to reflect the decline in supply. All that said, poultry producers and animal health officials will continue the battle against bird flu. They will rebuild and hopefully the impact will be less than what we experienced in the past. This might be a good time to reach out to poultry producers in your area with service and parts specials to help them through the current outbreak.
