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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Poultry farms in California, Utah, Oklahoma, Tennessee and much of the Midwest are seeing a resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases, sending egg prices upward in the holiday season.
Animal veterinarians are pushing USDA to move quickly in testing milk nationwide to get a handle on where the H5N1 virus is located so it can be controlled.
USDA plans to sample milk in states where dairy herds have been infected with avian flu, in an effort to stamp out the virus, which was first confirmed in Texas in March before spreading to herds in 14 states.
The hog industry says the U.S. pork supply is safe following detection of H5N1 in a pig from a backyard farm in Oregon, but concerns remain about possible mutations in the virus.
High food prices have become major talking points in the upcoming presidential election, with both sides pointing to different causes for pricey grocery store receipts over the past four years. Economists say a number of factors have been at play, depending on the type of food.
Another case of avian flu has been identified in a person in Colorado, the fourth such case associated with the H5N1 virus that has infected herds in 12 states.
The softening in grain markets that is pressuring row crop farmers has brought some welcome relief to dairy producers, but the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza on dairy farms continues to weigh on the sector.
In this opinion piece, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stresses that biosecurity is the key to limiting the spread of H5N1 and says USDA is developing a program to compensate producers with infected dairy herds.
