Ag Organizations React to Changes in USDA Bird Flu Strategy

Wednesday morning, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a new USDA strategy for tackling avian influenza — saying there was “no silver bullet” to eradicating the disease in poultry or cattle. Rollins was giving an address at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Winter Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. 

USDA said it is investing $1 billion into a “five-pronged” bird flu approach. 

1. USDA’s biggest investment will include working on increased biosecurity measures and audits for poultry producers. USDA said it will foot up to $500 million to put towards work on these measures. 
2. In addition, USDA will spend up to $400 million on increasing relief aid to farmers through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This will include the exploration of new programs intended to increase repopulation of infected flocks.
3. Up to $100 million will be spent in a “targeted and thoughtful strategy for potential new generation vaccines, therapeutics, and other innovative solutions to minimize depopulation of egg laying chickens,” said the USDA release.
4. USDA will be working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “examine strategies to safely expand supply in the commercial market for eggs,” the release said. Options include working with scientists and farmers to develop strategies to limit the depopulation of infected flocks.
5. USDA said it will explore changes to egg exports and imports, which would include potentially increasing the amount of eggs imported to the U.S. and reducing exports where applicable to supplement the nation’s egg supply.

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal announcing this new strategy, Rollins said, “American farmers need relief, and American consumers need affordable food. To every family struggling to buy eggs: We hear you, we’re fighting for you, and help is on the way.”

Reactions to the news rolled in from state agriculture departments and farm organizations.

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF)

“America’s farmers are committed to ensuring a safe and abundant food supply, and they take the threat of Highly Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI) seriously,” said AFBF economist Bernt Nelson. “Strict biosecurity measures on the farm and the depopulation of infected birds are evidence of the extreme lengths farmers go to protect the health of the national flock and the American public.

“Farm Bureau supports research to develop a safe, effective, and practical vaccine for HPAI in birds,” he continued. “In the meantime, containing the spread of the virus is a priority.”

National Chicken Council (NCC)

“We applaud Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration for their desire and commitment to combat HPAI across all species – a common goal shared by U.S. broiler producers,” said NCC President Harrison Kircher. “Particularly, we appreciate the measured and science-based approach for the potential use of an effective and applicable vaccine for laying hens and turkeys, and the administration’s commitment to work with our trading partners to minimize any potential negative trade effects should a vaccine ever be used.

“As the administration works to remove unnecessary burdens to bring down the price of eggs, we will continue to encourage FDA to act on our petition to modify an Obama-era regulation that would release up to 400 million surplus broiler hatching eggs into the egg breaking market.

“We look forward to working with the administration, states, public health professionals, and veterinarians to be part of the solution,” Harrison said.

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF)

NMPF develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk.

“Dairy farmers and cooperatives appreciate USDA’s leadership in supporting American agriculture and safeguarding animal health as it deals with what soon will be a second year of H5N1 bird flu disruptions in dairy cattle,” said NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud. “Dairy farmers and all of agriculture takes biosecurity seriously, and we thank USDA and the Trump Administration for actions that will further those efforts.

“We support the department’s initiatives to advance vaccine development and deployment that will help control, and ultimately eliminate, the virus in dairy cattle. And we also want to remind consumers that, even as dairy farmers are working with veterinarians and officials at all levels of government to eliminate this animal health threat, milk for consumers remains safe to drink because of the effectiveness of pasteurization.”

International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)

“The International Dairy Foods Association is grateful to Agriculture Secretary Rollins for investing up to $100 million in new and ongoing research into animal vaccinations and therapeutic tools to manage highly pathogenic avian influenza in our nation’s dairy herds and commercial poultry flocks,” said IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes. 

“We continue to urge USDA and its federal partners to act quickly to develop and approve the use of safe, effective bovine vaccines to guard against current and future strains of avian influenza affecting U.S. dairy,” he continued. “It is essential that the federal government work with our industry to ensure a vaccination strategy is feasible and cost-effective for farmers while working with international trading partners to assure the use of vaccines does not limit or disrupt U.S. agricultural exports.”

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories.

“U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ remarks made to NASDA members this morning announced that these steps are already underway, and NASDA stands ready to collaborate with USDA and federal agencies to ensure the United States’ collective response to HPAI is coordinated, efficient, and effective at all levels,” said NASDA CEO Ted McKinney.

“Swift, collective action is needed to implement a consistent plan, including resources to take needed measures to protect farms and livestock from highly pathogenic avian influenza and limit spread further,” McKinney said. “Equally important, we must help farmers who have been impacted mitigate the effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on their farms.”

NASDA also announced two action items from its Winter Policy Conference, calling for a national vaccine strategy and urging Congress to enact legislation supporting APHIS indemnity and a compensation program for foreign animal disease outbreaks.

Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Services (IDALS)

Iowa’s state Department of Agriculture and Land Services covers animal health, food safety, and conservation efforts for the state through 14 bureaus. 

“Iowa’s poultry farmers have been hit hard by H5N1 HPAI. I am grateful to Secretary Rollins and USDA for making this issue a top priority,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Secretary Rollins and her team at USDA have introduced a broad, five-pronged plan to better support poultry producers and tackle rising egg prices for families.

“Enhanced biosecurity is the best way to protect our flocks from any virus,” he continued. “Secretary Rollins has pledged $500 million to support on-farm biosecurity assessments and cost-share funding, which will help farmers make necessary infrastructure improvements. The plan also commits $400 million to update indemnity tables, something I called on USDA to do last year, to ensure farmers are receiving fair market rates for impacted birds.”

Texas Department of Agriculture

The Texas Department of Agriculture presides over consumer protection, production agriculture, rural economic development, and multiple nutrition programs for the state.

“Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller applauds United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins for her decisive action in addressing the ongoing avian influenza outbreak. Her five-prong plan makes it clear that tackling this crisis is the USDA’s number one priority—something that was sorely lacking under the Biden Administration.

“For too long, Washington has ignored the impact of this outbreak on farmers, ranchers, and consumers,” Miller continued. “The Biden Administration allowed egg prices to skyrocket while doing little to curb the spread of the virus. Rather than finding and investing in better solutions for limiting the spread and treating the virus, we’ve been forced to cull over 166 million birds. That’s not a strategy—it’s a failure of leadership, one that our poultry producers and consumers are paying for.

“Secretary Rollins is taking action by sharpening biosecurity measures, developing vaccines tailored to this evolving strain, and applying critical funding to research to prepare better and protect our agricultural industry. This is the type of leadership we need—bold, proactive, and focused on results.

“I stand ready to work alongside Secretary Rollins and her team to ensure Texas farmers and ranchers have the tools to fight this disease, protect their livestock, and keep food prices stable for American families.”