Bird Flu Surging as Holiday Season Begins

By Ryan Hanrahan

Civil Eats’ Meg Wilcox reported that “As the holidays approach, bird flu is once again sweeping through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, infecting and killing more than 8.9 million turkeys, chickens, and ducks in the U.S. since September.”

“Consumers, however, are unlikely to feel a price squeeze this holiday season,” Wilcox reported. “A 50-state survey by the American Farm Bureau found retail prices for frozen turkey down by 16% in comparison to last year, even though wholesale prices are up 40% because retailers often sell turkeys as loss leaders. And turkeys will remain safe to eat as long as they are properly cooked.”

“Meanwhile, infectious disease researchers are increasingly concerned about the rapid evolution of the virus,” Wilcox reported. “There is much they still don’t understand about this strain of bird flu, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) often referred to as H5N1 for its dominant subtype, which has been circulating globally in wild birds since the early 2000s. But since it first spilled over into commercial poultry flocks in the U.S. in early 2022, the virus has made startling and alarming advances.”

Feedstuffs’ Kristin Bakker reported that “as of Nov. 21, [the] USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service reported outbreaks in 90 commercial and backyard flocks just in the last 30 days, affecting more than 1.6 million birds. APHIS data show that nearly 184 million birds have been infected nationwide since the outbreak started in February 2022. Indiana has been the hotbed of activity in the last month, with outbreaks in 28 commercial and 21 backyard flocks infecting 666,310 birds, according to the APHIS dashboard.”

Retail Turkey Prices So Far Not Affected

NBC News’ Evan Bush and Melinda Yao reported that “A surge in bird flu cases has spiked wholesale turkey prices for groceries and retailers, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows. But those price shocks aren’t being passed to shoppers, as USDA data shows advertised turkey prices holding steady compared with last year.”

“Experts say grocery stores are stomaching the increased costs in an effort to bring customers in, though turkey dinner price projections show meal prices have held steady, as well,” Bush and Yao reported. “The increased costs can be traced to lower supply, with bird flu one of the culprits. Bird flu cases spiked among commercial poultry farms in the fall. As of October, more than 2 million turkeys have been culled this year because of exposure to flu.”

They continued: “David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University, added that a second virus, avian metapneumovirus, is reducing the number of viable eggs that hens are producing, which makes it difficult for turkey farmers to rebuild their flocks. The result: Turkey supply is tightening. The USDA projected turkey production to fall to 4.8 million pounds for the year, a drop from 5.1 million pounds in 2024.”

Washington State Resident Dies of New H5N5 Strain

Reuters reported this past weekend that “a Washington State resident receiving treatment for H5N5 avian influenza died on Friday, the state’s health department said, in the first confirmed human case of this variant globally.”

“The deceased – of Grays Harbor County – was an older adult with underlying health conditions, the department said in a statement released late on Friday, adding the person owned a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds,” Reuters reported. “The department found the avian flu in the flock’s environment, pointing to domestic poultry or wild birds as the likely source of exposure.”

“It said that the risk to the general public remains low, and no other individuals involved in the case have tested positive for avian influenza, commonly called bird flu,” Reuters reported.

Bird Flu Surging as Holiday Season Begins was originally published by Farmdoc.