The turkey farm that suffered the first outbreak of avian influenza in Minnesota is back in production, says the Associated Press. The Pope County farm was re-stocked with fowl on Sunday. “It’s the first affected farm in the country’s top turkey-producing state to reach the milestone of resuming production,” says the AP. The farm is described as a breeding farm that produces hatchlings to be fed to market weight. The farm is relatively isolated from other producers so there is less risk of a new outbreak.
“Getting clearance to restart is a lengthy process. After the barn is cleaned and disinfected, officials check for any remaining viruses. If a farm passes that test, it goes into at least three weeks of downtime,” says the AP.
The executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association says the group is talking to experts about potential changes to turkey barns to reduce the chance of disease. Changes could include mechanical ventilation and filtration systems to trap viruses.
The USDA’s running tally lists 222 confirmed outbreaks in poultry flocks, affecting 47.1 million fowl, mostly turkeys and egg-laying hens. Iowa has the highest chicken losses and Minnesota, the No. 1 turkey state, has lost 9 million birds on 102 farms.
For USDA maps of states with bird-flu outbreaks and nations that restrict or ban import of U.S. broiler meat, click here.
To see seven charts and maps by the Washington Post about the avian influenza epidemic, including weekly totals, click here.