In the face of escalating egg prices, the Trump administration is formulating a fresh approach to combat avian influenza, emphasizing vaccinations and enhanced biosecurity measures over the mass extermination of chickens when an outbreak occurs.
According to The Associated Press, the federal government will pursue "better ways, with biosecurity and medication and so on" as opposed to the prevailing practice of eradicating all birds on a farm when an infection is discovered, as stated by Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, on the CBS program "Face the Nation."
Hassett revealed that the administration is set to announce more details this week, adding that they are "working with all the best people in government, including academics around the country and around the world," to finalize the plan.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has yet to respond to requests for additional information. The standard procedure when chickens or turkeys begin succumbing to the disease is to "depopulate," or eliminate all the birds on the farm to prevent further spread. However, this method, resulting in the culling of millions of chickens each month, has led to a surge in egg prices and shortages prompting some retailers to limit sales.
The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, and the USDA anticipates a further 20% increase this year.
While Hassett did not divulge many specifics about the new approach, he mentioned that it would entail a "better, smarter perimeter" around poultry farms. He argued that it is illogical to kill all the chickens within that perimeter when the disease is being propagated by wild ducks and geese.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, during her appearance on "Fox and Friends," stated that her first briefing after being sworn in was on bird flu. She emphasized the administration's commitment to exploring every possible scenario to ensure safety and food security for Americans.
The poultry industry has historically been reluctant to vaccinate flocks against bird flu due to potential impacts on export markets and the associated costs. Most U.S. trading partners refuse imports from countries that permit vaccinations, fearing that vaccines could conceal the presence of the virus.
Tom Super, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, expressed support for the administration's goals to reduce food inflation and cut regulatory red tape. However, he emphasized the need for "robust trade protection" to prevent market losses.
The Congressional Chicken Caucus, in a letter to Rollins, warned that while the egg industry has suffered the most bird losses, the broiler industry could bear a disproportionate share of the costs of any policy change. USDA figures reveal that 77.5% of the nearly 159 million commercial birds lost to avian influenza since February 2022 have been layers, equating to over 123 million. This contrasts with 13.7 million broilers, or 8.6%, and 18.7 million turkeys, or 11.8%.
Avian influenza vaccines have been available for some time. Zoetis, an animal health company, announced that it had received a conditional license from the USDA for a new vaccine. However, the decision to use it would be up to federal authorities in collaboration with the industry. Other manufacturers are also developing vaccines.
Dr. Carol Cardona, a bird flu expert at the University of Minnesota, highlighted the immense effort required to implement tighter biosecurity measures to prevent cross-contamination and limit outbreaks to one barn. She also emphasized the need for effective barriers to transmission between barns and the importance of farm workers being vigilant for early signs of abnormal deaths.
One of the challenges is the logistical difficulty of administering shots to up to 3 million birds or more at a single egg farm. Current vaccines are all injectable, and farms might choose to limit them to new pullets entering a farm.
Cardona suggested that vaccines that could be economically administered through a farms water supply would require new innovations. However, she pointed out that until theres a market for vaccines, there wont be an incentive to develop them.
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