HPAI News: Mar 6 2025
USDA's Defend the Flock program educates producers on biosecurity
Special Focus: USDA plan to address egg prices
Secretary Rollins recently announced a five-prong strategy to address the escalating cost of eggs in the US. Her plan has been met with support from a number of industry leaders, although there are caveats worth mentioning. Several of the proposed measures are continuations or expansions of work already being done, and some of the newer ideas are focused on “exploring” or “developing” solutions, which might take time to come to fruition. The plan also stopped short of implementing a vaccination program. However, the industry appears to be cautiously optimistic and eagerly awaiting the improvements.
In case you missed it, Rollins’ Wall Street Journal opinion piece, which is behind a paywall, contained largely the same information as was available in the USDA’s press release (links below).
Invest in Gold-Standard Biosecurity Measures for all U.S. Poultry Producers
Improving biosecurity at commercial poultry operations is a key focus of the USDA’s plan. Although biosecurity audits have been made available to affected farms, this program will be expanded and also offered to non-affected farms in the vicinity of an outbreak. Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments will also be offered after showing success in a pilot program in IA, MN, ND, and SD. Where deficiencies are noted during the assessment, the USDA has said that it will share up to 75% of costs to correct the issues.
For further reading on the Wildlife Biosecurity Assessment program, see Dr. Sarah Bevins’ presentation to the US Poultry & Egg Association: https://www.uspoultry.org/HPAI/PDF/Bevins%20Preseentation.pdf
Increase Relief to Aid Farmers and Accelerate Repopulation
Secretary Rollins will continue current indemnity programs to reimburse producers for their losses, as well as make the process more simple and expedient. The aim is to speed up repopulation and egg production. This ties in with other objectives to reduce the need for depopulation (see below).
Remove Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens on the Chicken and Egg Industry to Further Innovation and Reduce Consumer Prices
There’s a lot to unpack here, since there are multiple agenda items all crammed under a single umbrella. First, the plan states that the USDA wants to “minimize burdens” on farmers who raise homegrown eggs. Given the current lack of restrictions on this practice, other than local zoning ordinances and HOA rules, it’s unclear what this effort will entail. However, backyard flocks generally have less biosecurity than commercial ones and represent a significant pathway for potential animal-human transmission. Hopefully any new actions on this front will include flock owner education in biosecurity practices. State extension services like the University of Connecticut have begun stepping in to fill this need.
Follow this link to sign up for UConn’s HPAI Update webinar for backyard flock owners: https://livestock.extension.uconn.edu/hpai-update-for-ct-livestock-poultry-farmers-webinar/
Next, a carefully worded bullet point indicates that the agency intends to push back against animal welfare laws, such as Proposition 12 in California, that set minimum standards for space allocation. Cage-free eggs, which fulfill this requirement, generally cost more than conventionally raised eggs. However, reversal of these policies is unlikely to have an immediate or significant impact, as most producers cannot quickly change their housing and management practices. Nevada, which has recently suspended a similar regulation, should serve as an indicator of the effectiveness of this strategy.
The remaining two areas identified for action are both admirable, but also aspirational. The plan calls for developing innovative strategies to limit depopulations, as well as examining other approaches to expand domestic supply. The second point in particular likely refers to a petition made by the National Chicken Council to allow hatching eggs to enter the food supply. The FDA, however, has declined to approve this suggestion and seems unlikely to reverse its position any time soon.
For more information on the National Chicken Council’s proposal, read their press release here: https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/national-chicken-council-offers-measure-to-help-alleviate-egg-shortage-in-wake-of-bird-flu/
Explore Pathways toward Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Other Strategies for Protecting Egg Laying Chickens to Reduce Instances of Depopulation
Vaccination is the elephant in the room in these discussions. This is a highly nuanced issue with a number of factors that will ultimately impact the decision to implement a vaccination program or not. Arguments in favor of vaccination include a reduction in depopulations, which take a significant toll on both economics and animal welfare. On the other hand, many US trade partners will not accept chicken products from countries that vaccinate for H5N1. During the previous avian influenza outbreak, over $1B of export revenue was lost in 2015 alone, something that the industry is eager to avoid this time around.
So while the USDA’s plan involves allocation of up to $100M for development of vaccines and other therapeutics, this will be balanced by active engagement from both the broiler and layer segments as well as significant efforts to limit the impact of a potential vaccination program on export markets. Given that our largest trade partners for poultry products are China, Mexico, and Canada, it remains unclear what the ultimate impact would be. Secretary Rollins has promised bi-weekly progress reports in this area, something that will be much appreciated after the pause in the agency’s public communications.
The American Society for Microbiology recently published a well-written review of avian influenza vaccine approaches. The article is comprehensive but easily readable without a scientific background. It can be found on the ASM website here:
https://asm.org/Articles/2025/March/Avian-Influenza-H5N1-Vaccines-What-Status
Consider Temporary Import-Export Options to Reduce Costs on Consumers and Evaluate International Best Practices
As reported last week, the agency is exploring the option of importing eggs from countries like Turkey. Although this could provide temporary relief in certain markets, it’s unlikely that this will be an impactful or permanent solution.