Highly pathogenic avian influenza struck Minnesota turkey breeder Loren Brey’s flocks first, forcing him to euthanize close to 20,000 birds in late 2023. Four months later, avian metapneumovirus arrived, taking out 15% of his remaining hens and cutting his egg production from 7,000 or 8,000 per day to about 400 per day.
“Talk about a double whammy,” Brey said.
HPAI and aMPV, both viral diseases, are simultaneously circulating across the U.S., posing dual threats to the turkey industry. Millions of turkeys have perished as a result, while producers struggle to replenish their supplies as aMPV diminishes breeders’ egg laying.
“Every producer in the United States and probably North America has been affected,” said Iowa turkey farmer Brad Moline, noting that even if producers have not seen the viruses in their own flocks, they likely find it more difficult to secure new poults due to infections at breeder farms.
HPAI has drawn more headlines, proving 100% fatal to infected birds and forcing farmers to depopulate entire flocks. All told, 18.7 million turkeys have been lost in the current HPAI outbreak, which began in early 2022, according to USDA data.
Jada Thompson (University of Arkansas photo)But aMPV, while more subtle, can be deadly to turkeys, too, causing 20% to 50% mortality in affected flocks, largely due to secondary infections, according to the National Turkey Federation. At the same time, breeders see between 50% and 90% losses in egg production, limiting access to new stock at a time when barns across the nation are being emptied, according to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.
“For every egg they’re not laying, we’re not having replacement stock,” said University of Arkansas economist Jada Thompson.
Numbers for aMPV losses are hard to pin down, but the turkey federation estimates the disease last year hit between 60% and 80% of U.S. flocks, killing “millions of turkeys.” The reduction in commercial turkeys caused by aMPV “is so vast” that major processor Jennie-O laid off 250 workers at one plant due to reduced bird numbers, said MTGA Executive Director Ashley Kohls.
Both diseases have taken a toll on producers. Moline, the Iowa turkey producer, has one friend who has filed for bankruptcy as a result. He knows of others who “will not place turkeys again until this passes,” but added, “They may never place another turkey again.”
John Zimmerman (NTF photo)“This has been a one-two punch to our farmers,” John Zimmerman, immediate past chair of NTF, said of the current two-disease situation at a House Agriculture Committee hearing earlier this month. “I’m seeing the next generation of turkey farmers just throw up their hands.”
MTGA's Kohls said close to 70% of Minnesota turkey growers are independent, buying their own poults and inputs and selling mature birds to processors under contract.
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“They get paid on the number of pounds sold out of that barn, so any loss is stood by those growers,” Kohls said. “It impacts each individual farm differently because they have to stand for themselves.”
Losing breeders can be particularly challenging. For every breeder that dies, “multiplicative turkeys are not being produced,” said Thompson, the University of Arkansas economist. It takes roughly eight months for brand new breeders to enter the system as a replacement, she added.
According to USDA data, 20.7 million turkey poults hatched in 2024, a drop of more than 4% from the year prior.
Turkey farmers may begin to see some relief from aMPV as they gain access to modified live vaccines, which are actively available in other parts of the world. Since December, USDA has authorized import of four modified live vaccines, said Lindy Chiaia, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the NTF. They began arriving earlier this year.
“At this point, the supply is not here to where every turkey is vaccinated yet,” Chiaia said. “So we’re hopeful in the next several months that we’ll see that uptick in availability.”
Poultry veterinarian Michelle Kromm said that the vaccines are only authorized to be imported for 12 months, providing only a limited window for producers to obtain them. She said it takes five months to raise heavy toms, male turkeys often used to make ground turkey and deli meat.
Additionally, vaccine manufacturers need six to eight months to shift their production up or down, making it difficult to adjust to demand in a one-year import window, Kromm said. It will likely take more than two years for U.S. manufacturers to develop their own vaccine, she added.
USDA compensates producers for depopulating flocks due to HPAI, but does not offer financial assistance for losses to aMPV. Earlier this month, Iowa’s congressional delegation urged USDA to consider making producers that lose flocks to aMPV eligible for compensation under the Livestock Indemnity Program. Minnesota lawmakers have made a similar request.
When it comes to HPAI, NTF is urging USDA to research possible strategies for a vaccine, Chiaia said. It is also pressing the agency to renegotiate with trading partners to minimize impacts that could stem from potential vaccine deployment.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rolled out a five-part plan to address avian flu last month, but Chiaia said many of the components of that strategy are currently limited to egg-laying chickens. She said NTF hopes that “it can be expanded to include turkeys in rapid time.”
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