Chicken producers warn of the rapid spread of bird flu throughout the United States

U.S. poultry producers are stepping up herd safety measures as disease experts warn that wild birds may be spreading a very deadly form of bird flu nationwide. ..

Indiana reported on Wednesday a highly pathogenic avian influenza on a commercial turkey farm, leading China, South Korea and Mexico to ban poultry imports from the state. This outbreak put US industry at stake during a time when labor shortages were driving food inflation.

sick Already popular Although it occurs in Europe and affects Africa, Asia and Canada, the outbreak in Indiana, which is on the path of migratory birds, has rattled producers in the United States in particular. The catastrophic bird flu outbreak in the United States in 2015 killed nearly 50 million birds in the Midwest, most of them turkeys and spawning chickens.

According to the US government, the United States is the world’s largest producer of poultry meat and the second largest exporter.

Dennis Haad, vice president of research at the American Poultry and Egg Association, an industry group, said:

Poultry company Perdue has suspended direct visits to the farm to avoid the spread of the disease, spokeswoman Diana Souder said.

Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the confirmed incident in the country meant increasing the risk for everyone.

“It’s time to move on to higher vigilance for our livestock producers,” Naig said.

Disease experts said wild birds are likely to spread the H5N1 virus. Can infect humans, From the east coast to Indiana. Authorities have confirmed that wild ducks are infected with this strain.

The USDA has called the disease a low risk to people.

What U.S. Poultry Producers Do To Protect From Bird Flu

Tyson Foods has stepped up its biosecurity measures at its facilities on the east coast after the wild bird infection, the company said in a statement on Monday. It said it reduced the number of trips to the farm and began to spend more time cleaning the car.

According to experts, east coast wild birds may be mixed with birds flying on a path called the Mississippi Flyway, which includes major poultry-producing countries such as Indiana and Mississippi and Alabama.

To better track the disease, the USDA announced on Friday that it would extend bird surveillance to the Mississippi Flyway and another route of travel, including Texas and Nebraska.

“It’s very likely that it’s present throughout the state, from the east coast to the west coast,” Haad said.

According to Carol Cardona, a professor of bird health at the University of Minnesota, other commercial poultry swarms can become infected as wild birds cross the flyway, but producers have taken safety precautions since 2015. It is improving.

As one of the key changes, farms often require people entering poultry sheds to change their boots and clothing to avoid bringing in contaminants such as feces and feathers.

“We are aware that the virus may be just outside the door,” Cardona said.

Over 700 bird flu outbreaks have affected more than 20 countries since October 2021. Tens of millions of birds have been killed.

The British government has reported that the country is suffering from the worst bird flu season in history, but Italy has the highest incidence of over 300. Hungary, Poland and France have also recorded a significant number of cases.

The disease struck the United States while poultry was feeding Down due to strong demand COVID-19 Labor shortage at a meat factory during a pandemic.

According to government data, US supply of frozen chicken has fallen 14% from the end of December a year ago, and turkey inventories have fallen 23%.

In Indiana, authorities are testing poultry farms in a 10-kilometer controlled area around an infected farm in Dubois County. The state said Thursday that all tests were negative, but tests will continue weekly.

These negative tests have not alleviated James Watson, a state veterinarian in Mississippi, the fifth largest chicken-producing country. He said wild ducks are likely to continue to spread the virus until warm weather sends them to northern breeding grounds.

“Even if they solved this without any other problems, we would still be very cautious,” Watson said.