The government is stockpiling up to 500 million doses of vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza in the wake of the worst-ever U.S. epidemic of bird flu that killed nearly 50 million fowl. “But many in the $48 billion [poultry] industry don’t want it,” reports Bloomberg. Turkey growers and other poultry farmers often are on opposing sides of the divide. Turkeys take longer to grow than lighter-weight broiler chickens — 20 weeks to maturity for turkeys versus eight weeks for broilers — and are more valuable per bird. “While turkey farmers hit hard by the most-recent outbreak support the shots, chicken producers say vaccinating even a portion of their flocks would prompt foreign buyers to ban imports,” said Bloomberg.
“While the USDA isn’t detailing how vaccines would be administered in an outbreak, a September document from its Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service said shots would only be given with the approval of each state’s top veterinarian, and then only to commercial poultry in areas where disease was spreading rapidly,” said Bloomberg. Owners of egg-laying hens oppose vaccines because of the time and expense of the treatment.