Highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in an egg farm with 5.3 million laying hens in northwestern Iowa, said the USDA. It was the largest outbreak yet in the United States and tripled the number of birds killed by the disease or destroyed to prevent its spread. Until the Iowa case, the USDA listed total losses from 53 other cases at 2.7 million birds, mostly turkeys. The Iowa Agriculture Department said state officials quarantined the farm in Osceola County, “and birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.”
The large number of outbreaks affecting turkeys led officials to believe chickens were not as susceptible to the latest strain of avian influenza. Some 28 outbreaks in turkey flocks in Minnesota have been reported since March 4, compared to two outbreaks in chickens and three in mixed poultry flocks. The USDA says Iowa leads the nation in egg production. “It’s a $2 billion industry in Iowa, which has about 50 million hens that lay nearly one in every five eggs consumed in the country,” said the Des Moines Register.
While the hens amount to 10 percent of layers in Iowa, they are a little more than 1 percent of laying hens nationwide, reported the New York Times, quoting egg-marketing experts who said the outbreak was unlikely to cause an immediate spike in prices or disrupt supplies. Reuters reported that Sonstegard Food Co. said there were 3.8 million hens on the farm near Harris, Iowa. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey told Reuters the USDA figure probably was the capacity of the farm, while the company listed the number of hens on site.
The USDA estimates poultry exports will fall by 8.5 percent this year due in part to trade restrictions imposed by other nations wary of bird flu. Officials say the disease is being spread in the United States by migrating wildfowl. No human cases have been reported.
Along with the Iowa outbreak, the USDA reported bird flu in two turkey farms with a total of 29,000 turkeys in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, and in two counties in Wisconsin, a mixed flock of 33 birds in Juneau County and a turkey farm with 126,700 birds in Barron County.
In Wisconsin, state veterinarian Paul McGraw banned shipment of poultry to shows, exhibitions and swap meets in Barron, Juneau and Jefferson counties. “We are taking the necessary precautions to limit the spread of avian influenza throughout the state of Wisconsin,” said McGraw in a statement. And Gov. Scott Walker issued an executive order making National Guard troops available to contain and assist in cleanup in the three counties, said Brownfield Ag News.
The USDA list of avian influenza outbreaks is available here.