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Omaha (United States), Feb. 18 (AP) — The ongoing outbreak of bird flu has cost the government some $661 million and increased consumer spending after more than 58 million birds were slaughtered to limit the spread of the virus. Grocery store pain.
Farmers who raise these animals are handily losing more than $1 billion, on top of the cost of the government response and rising egg, chicken and turkey prices, according to one agricultural economist, though no one has calculated the industry’s total yet. cost.
The bad news is that as the pandemic enters its second year and the spring migration season approaches, there is no sign of it ending. There is little that farmers can do beyond the measures already in place to try to stop the spread of the virus.
Unlike previous years, the virus that causes highly pathogenic bird flu found a way to survive last summer’s heat, leading to an increase in cases reported in the fall.
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The outbreak, already more widespread than the last major bird flu outbreak in 2015, has yet to prove costly, in part because governments and industry have learned lessons from eight years ago.
“The past year has been devastating for the turkey industry as we unequivocally experienced the worst HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) outbreak in the history of the industry,” said National Turkey Federation spokeswoman Sher Bi Newman said.
During the current outbreak, more than 300 commercial farms in 47 states have slaughtered 58.4 million birds. That’s because whenever the virus is detected, the farm’s entire flock — which can number in the millions — must be killed to limit the spread of the disease. Only Hawaii, Louisiana and West Virginia have not reported cases of bird flu. Iowa—the largest egg producer in the United States—leads the nation with a kill rate of nearly 16 million birds.
In 2015, approximately 50 million chickens and turkeys were slaughtered on more than 200 farms in 15 states.
The last outbreak remains the costliest animal health disaster in U.S. history. The federal government has spent nearly $1 billion dealing with infected birds, cleaning barns and compensating farmers. The industry loses an estimated $3 billion due to the additional costs and losses farmers incur when their farms don’t have any birds.
Those bills continued to pile up this year, including costs to consumers, as cases spread.
Egg prices soared to $4.82 a dozen in January from $1.93 a year earlier, according to the latest government data. The spike has prompted calls for a price gouging investigation, even as the industry insists a combination of bird flu and significantly higher feed, fuel and labor costs contributed to the high prices.
A pound of chicken breast cost $4.32 in January. That’s down slightly from last fall’s peak of $4.75, but up sharply from the previous year’s price of $3.73 per pound for chicken breasts.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track retail turkey prices like it does its inflation data, but the Agriculture Department said wholesale turkey prices rose to $1.72 a pound last month from $1.29 a pound in January, before the bird flu outbreak.
Last spring, the number of birds slaughtered peaked at nearly 21 million in March, leaving farmers cautious about what they will have to contend with in the coming months. David Starknecht, a virus researcher at the University of Georgia, said there’s hope this spring won’t be as bad because turkeys and chickens may have developed some immunity to the virus.
The key problem with bird flu is that the highly contagious virus spreads easily through the droppings and snot of wild birds. Despite the best efforts of farmers, it is difficult to keep the virus out.
Farmers went to great lengths to require workers to shower and change before entering barns, sanitize trucks coming into farms, and invest in individual tool sets for each barn. Some farms have even upgraded barn ventilation systems and installed laser systems to deter wild birds from congregating.
“We recommend that all producers redouble their efforts to protect their birds through good biosecurity practices,” said Lyndsay Cole, spokeswoman for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is leading the government’s response.
Farmers started taking these steps after the 2015 outbreak, and this outbreak has only reinforced the need for increased biosecurity.
“Egg farmers in the U.S. continue to double down on biosecurity protocols to protect our flocks and maintain a steady supply of eggs. We are pleased that there has been little farm-to-farm transmission during this current outbreak,” said United Egg Producers trade group said Oscar Garrison, senior vice president of food safety and regulatory affairs.
Poultry and egg producers, in collaboration with the government, are analyzing the outbreak for new lessons in keeping birds healthy.
“That’s really the key — to catch it early. It’s a bit like a forest fire — the sooner you catch it, the easier it is to contain and eradicate it,” said Tom Super, spokesman for the National Chicken Council.
Bird flu does not pose a major threat to human health, officials said. Human cases are extremely rare, and infected birds are not allowed into the country’s food supply. Properly cooking poultry to 165°F will kill any viruses.
Only one human case of bird flu has been confirmed during this outbreak, a man who had been helping slaughter and remove infected birds from a Colorado farm. After a few days, he recovered from his illness. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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