Bird flu returns to US poultry farm, raising fears of new outbreak
A group of 47,300 turkeys in Jerauld County, South Dakota, has been found to have the first case of avian flu in the United States since April. This was reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
To stop the virus from spreading, infected birds are killed. This could make it harder to get chicken meat and eggs if more cases happen.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which is what the disease is properly called, has killed 58.8 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds in the U.S. since 2022. Costs went up for customers last year because of inflation, which caused turkey meat and eggs to reach all-time highs in price.
Since then, farmers have worked to rebuild their flocks, which has made stocks bigger.
The largest egg producer in the U.S., Cal-Maine Foods, said this week that the average price of free-range eggs dropped 48% from last year to $1.24 per dozen in the three months ending September 2. In the quarter, the company’s net sales dropped 30% to $459.3 million.
“HPAI is still present in the wild bird population, and the extent of possible future outbreaks, particularly during the upcoming fall migration season, cannot be predicted,” said Cal-Maine. The virus is spread by wild birds like ducks.
USDA records show that since April, the only places in the U.S. where cases could happen were live bird markets and “non-poultry” birds. This week’s outbreak changed that. It is known that the last industrial farms to get infected in April were in South Dakota and North Dakota. These farms raised turkeys.
Also Read:
