Last week, AG Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a $1 billion comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza, protect the U. S. poultry industry and lower egg prices. This is in addition to funding already being provided to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks. The five-pronged strategy includes an additional $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million in financial relief for affected farmers and $100 million for vaccine research, action to reduce regulatory burdens and exploring temporary import options. USDA will expand its highly successful wildlife biosecurity assessments to producers across the nation, beginning with egg-layer facilities, to safeguard farms from the cause of 83% of HPAI cases: transmission from wild birds. They will also explore the path toward vaccines and other strategies to protect egg laying chickens to reduce the risk of disease.
Have you wondered why egg prices are going up and the price of chicken meat is staying flat? They are two different kinds of birds, raised in different ways.
Rollins says American farmers need relief and American consumers need affordable food.
