Items Tagged with 'HPAI'

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. 

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials will be discussing the bird flu outbreak with state officials and industry stakeholders today. The call comes after Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins told Breitbart.com that vaccines were “off the table,” leading to questions about whether vaccination would still be part of the administration’s bird flu strategy.

Republicans pushed their skinny budget plan through the Senate early Friday after a nearly 10-hour vote-a-rama that allowed Democrats to force votes on a variety of concerns, including food costs, bird flu and the recent mass firings of government workers. The Senate debate highlighted some major GOP fault lines over spending cuts.

With bird flu shrinking the nation’s egg supply, the National Chicken Council is asking FDA to change its rules and let broiler producers send their surplus eggs for breaking.

The Trump administration plans to make vaccines a central part of its strategy to control  bird flu, even as farm industry groups remain divided on whether that’s the best way to go.

The Trump administration is preparing a plan for combatting avian flu that will move away from depopulating infected flocks and rely instead on “biosecurity and medication,” says President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser. Zoetis separately has announced that it has received approval for a vaccine. 

The newly sworn in secretary of agriculture pledged Friday to return the agency to its “core mission” in an address to employees and supporters at the USDA’s headquarters. She also told USDA employees to cooperate with the Department of Government Efficiency initiative led by Elon Musk.

The cost of eating at home jumped 0.5% in January, driven by skyrocketing egg prices and higher prices for beef and pork.