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USDA HAS SPENT $1.3 BILLION FOR AVIAN FLU DAMAGES, AND COUNTING
Jul. 12, 2024
Agri-Pulse reports:
USDA's response to avian influenza in poultry and cows will end up costing at least $2 billion, according to figures shared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on an Agri-Pulse webinar Thursday.
Jonathan Zack, director of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's National Preparedness and Incident Coordination Center, said APHIS has committed about $1.3 billion to date, including $901 million to cover depopulation of poultry and eggs and $239 million on disposal of birds and the personnel costs associated with that. The total also includes $163 million to address the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows.
Another $816 million is available to continue addressing the presence of avian flu in both poultry and cows, he said, and emphasized that more resources will be available if needed.
APHIS is reporting 146 dairy herds in 12 states have been infected since the first detection in Texas in late March. In poultry, meanwhile, an egg layer operation in Colorado was hit earlier this week. The Colorado Sun reported the facility has nearly 1.8 million birds.
Zack confirmed that the virus has moved from dairy farms to poultry farms in some cases. Based on the "phylogenetic footprint," he said, "I don't think anyone's going to argue with that."
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