Friday, May 8, 2015

5 avian influenza developments you need to know


  • The North American avian influenza outbreak continues to develop rapidly. Here are five important developments on avian influenza from the past week.

    1. Not yet a nationwide epidemic: USDA APHIS chief veterinary officer Dr. John Clifford doesn’t want to call the current avian influenza outbreak a nationwide epidemic, saying that "Until we get all the facts I don’t want to speculate,” according to a report from Southern Farm Network Today.

    2. Trade bans now will lead to poultry shortages later: Current bans on shipments of genetic stock from the U.S., UK and Canada aren’t impacting supplies of poultry meat and eggs outside of North America now, but breeders warn that these bans will eventually result in large numbers of empty incubators and poultry houses and shortages of meat and eggs in countries that have not followed OIE guidelines and have banned importation of genetic stock from entire countries.

    3. U.S. allocates more emergency funds: Reuters reported the U.S. government will allocate an additional $330 million in emergency funds to compensate farmers for claims related to the avian influenza outbreak, bringing total funds to at least $414.5 million.

    4. Layoffs have begun: Due to the reduced the number of birds available in the Jennie-O Turkey Store supply chain, the company temporarily laid off 233 employees working at its Faribault, Minnesota, plant. Jennie-O is the first major player to announce such layoffs.

    5. Effect on individual poultry producers: Grand Forks Herald profiled second-generation turkey producer Greg Langmo of Litchfield, Minnesota, and explored the effect of avian influenza on producers. "[Langmo] worries how many producers — many of them second- and third-generation growers in their 50s and 60s in age — will continue if there isn’t help to see them through the worst."

    To track confirmed cases of the North American avian influenza outbreak, see our avian influenza tracker map and bookmark the avian influenza update page for news about and analysis of avian influenza. 

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