poultry
11 percent of egg-laying hens dead in two months from bird flu
U.S. egg farmers lost 11 percent of their laying hens in two months, the government said - the latest impact of the worst avian influenza epidemic to ever hit the poultry industry.
In bird-flu boomerang, chicken to cost less
The avian influenza epidemic hit egg-laying poultry flocks and spared the growers who produce broiler chickens used for meat. But many nations restricted or altogether banned U.S. poultry products because of the flu. The result is a rapidly increasing supply of chicken, says the monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook. And when supplies go up, prices come down.
First Minnesota farm hit by bird flu resumes production
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.
U.S.-Canada tensions rise over agricultural trade
The United States is frustrated with Canada "because it believes Ottawa promised greater foreign access to its dairy and poultry markets as a condition of joining" the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, "and yet has offered nothing," reports the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Bird flu’s implications for large-scale operators
The worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit U.S. poultry farms resulted in the death or culling of 48.1 million fowl, most of them turkeys and egg-laying hens. Iowa, the No. 1 egg state, could see "total economic damage" of $957 million, says Fortune. U.S. egg production, estimated down by 5 percent this year, is not expected to recover until 2016.
WTO moves closer to decision on U.S. meat-labeling rules
The World Trade Organization has sent an interim report to the three North American nations - Canada, Mexico and the United States - sparring over country-of-origin-labeling rules for cuts of poultry, beef and pork, says a spokesman for the U.S. trade representative's office.
USDA pricetag for bird-flu epidemic may top $500 million
In a Bloomberg interview, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the government may spend more than half a billion dollars to fight the avian-influenza epidemic and to compensate poultry producers for their flocks.
Egg prices drop 7 cents as bird-flu epidemic wanes
After increasing by 68 percent in five weeks, the price of eggs in supermarkets is down slightly. The average price for a dozen Large white eggs Grade A or better is $1.98 this week, 7 cents less than the previous week, according to the USDA's National Retail Report. "Shoppers will ... find some relief," says the report, noting more stores are featuring eggs in their advertisements.
Plenty of holiday turkey despite avian influenza losses
"Much has been made of a potential supply disruption impacting the availability of turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday," say economists John Newton and Todd Kuethe of U-Illinois, who rebut the idea at farmdoc daily. They say the monthly Cold Storage report shows turkey stockpiles are 5-percent larger than a year ago and other USDA reports show turkey production from January-April was up by 7 percent from the same point in 2014.
Ethanol makers feel impact of bird-flu epidemic
The impact of the worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit U.S. poultry flocks has reached the ethanol industry in the form of smaller sales of distillers dried grains (DDGs), a widely used feed, says DTN.
After three-week surge, fewer bird-flu outbreaks reported
The worst avian influenza epidemic ever to hit the U.S. poultry industry is losing its punch, says Agri-Pulse, with fewer outbreaks being reported on a weekly basis and "leading industry and government officials to discuss steps to prevent a similar outbreak in the fall."
Bird flu confirmed in Wyoming and two Minnesota flocks
Three more cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were confirmed by the USDA in a three-day period. All were the H5N2 virus. The Wyoming case involved an ailing wild Canada goose from Laramie County.
USDA pays $72 million to farms in bird-flu indemnities
The government has paid $71.9 million to producers as indemnities for poultry flocks that were victims of the worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit the United States.
Bird-flu vaccine needs more work, only 60-percent effective
The government said it will not approve release of a vaccine against the worst U.S. epidemic of avian influenza in poultry because none of the drugs now available works well enough. "Currently, there is lack of a well matched, effective vaccine for HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] from the public and private sectors. The vaccine currently available offers just 60 percent effectiveness in chickens, leaving 4 in 10 birds unprotected," said the USDA.
Bird-flu epidemic is bigger still, depending how you count
The avian influenza epidemic that erupted six months ago is the worst ever to hit the U.S. poultry industry. The USDA's running tally climbed to 181 confirmed poultry cases with 41 milllion fowl, mostly chickens and turkeys, lost to disease or euthanized to prevent its spread. Harvest Public Media says the epidemic is bigger still, because of the way the USDA keeps its totals - the running tally counts "only those birds that are involved in food production. Left out are wild birds, which officials blame for the start and the spread of the outbreak."
Holes in the biosecurity net against avian influenza
Security rules against the spread of avian influenza are being applied unevenly or not followed at several farms in Iowa, the state hit hardest by the avian influenza epidemic, "potentially increasing the risks that the disease could spread further," says Reuters. It reports that at half of six poultry farms that a reporter visited, operations did not comply with USDA or state protocols to restrict access to farms, to provide protective gear to workers, and to clean the wheels of vehicles leaving the farm.
USDA developing bird flu vaccine, no plans to use it
USDA scientists are working on a poultry vaccine against avian influenza with no immediate plans to use it, says Reuters. A test is expected within a couple of months at a poultry-disease lab in Georgia.
Mexico eases restrictions on U.S. poultry
A decision by Mexico to allow the import of poultry meat from states affected by avian influenza "signals the disease's threat to U.S. poultry exports is starting to subside," according to a report from Bloomberg.