Poultry operations seeking compensation for the loss of birds and eggs due to avian flu will have to get a biosecurity audit before restocking, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Monday.
“Despite the combined efforts of APHIS, state and federal veterinary officials, and industry outreach, some poultry farmers continue to face biosecurity challenges and, in some cases, experience multiple infections on their farms,” APHIS said.
Data from the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which began in poultry in 2022, “has shown that updated regulations can help to prevent further spread of this disease.”
The new requirement is included in an interim final rule issued Monday. The rule will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register Tuesday, but APHIS also is accepting comments on the regulations until March 5.
The requirement was announced as poultry operations finish a rough month for HPAI. More than 16 million birds had to be killed in December – up from about 7 million in November and 4.37 million in October. From 2022-2024, 127 million birds nationwide have been depopulated.
“During the outbreak of HPAI in 2014 and 2015, U.S. poultry owners made great improvements to biosecurity to protect their flocks, which greatly reduced the presence of HPAI among the country’s poultry flock,” USDA Chief Veterinary Officer Rosemary Sifford said.
“Biosecurity is proven to be our best weapon in fighting this virus, and this update will ensure that poultry producers who received indemnity for HPAI are taking measures to stop future introductions of the disease and avoiding actions that contribute to its spread.”
Since the start of the current outbreak, APHIS said it has made indemnity payments to more than 1,200 producers. “Of these, 67 unique commercial poultry premises have had at least two HPAI infections during the current outbreak, including 18 premises infected three or more times,” APHIS said. “Those with reinfections have received over $365 million in indemnity payments, out of nearly $1.1 billion that has been distributed in total."
HPAI also has hit dairy operations, starting in March 2024 in Texas, before transportation of animals spread infections well beyond that state. In total, 913 herds in 16 states have been confirmed as infected, 697 of those in California.
In the last 30 days, there have been 224 new confirmed cases, with 222 of those coming in California.
Cows generally recover from the disease, but poultry must be euthanized.
Under the interim rule, APHIS also will also require a biosecurity audit for commercial poultry premises located within buffer zones, defined as a minimum of 7 kilometers around the infected zone, before movement of poultry onto the premises.
“Additionally, APHIS will not pay indemnity for flocks moved onto premises in active infected zones if the flocks become infected with HPAI within 14 days following the dissolution of the control area around an active infected premises,” APHIS said in a release. “A producer who does not make corrections recommended in APHIS’s biosecurity audit will not be eligible for indemnity payments if the premises experiences future infections within the same outbreak.”
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