Feb. 26 (UPI) — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday the federal government will spend up to $1billion to combat bird flu, and hopefully lower the rising price of eggs.
“This five-point strategy won’t erase the problem overnight, but we’re confident that it will restore stability to the egg market over the next three to six months,” Rollins wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “This approach will also ensure stability over the next four years and beyond.”
Since 2022 the three-year outbreak of bird flu has so far killed an estimated 166 million chickens, infected nearly 70 humans and at least 1,000 dairy herds, the department said.
The virus appeared in animals across the United States from dairy herds to backyard chickens. Meanwhile, there has been one reported death in a human related to bird flu.
In January, the average cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs was $4.95 in some places, up from $4.15 in December, according to data.
But Rollins, who was officially Senate confirmed in her role less than two weeks ago, wrote that the United States will work to cut regulations on egg suppliers and aim to “make it easier for families to raise backyard chickens.”
In November, data showed the weekly wholesale price of eggs in New York stood at $4.50 per dozen on Nov. 8, which was a continued surge from just over $2 per dozen beginning in early October as inventory dipped.
The agriculture secretary wrote in her op-ed that USDA will spend $500 million for biosecurity enhancement efforts to keep the virus at bay, and will expand a Biden administration program to send USDA inspectors to assess farm biosecurity readiness. Rollins also wrote that USDA will drop $400 to reimburse farmers for lost flocks. USDA in December added a federal policy that mandates poultry producers to pass a biosecurity audit before getting compensated.
Rollins stated in her op-ed that some of the money is expected to come via USDA cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency.
USDA, she added, will consider the use of vaccines for egg-laying hens. However, it has yet to authorize vaccine use but before it takes next steps, the department will “consult state leaders, poultry and dairy farmers, and public health professionals,” Rollins said.
She said it could help reduce the need to “depopulate” flocks of chickens on farms where there’s a known outbreak, and that USDA officials evaluated 150 risky sites and will pay 75% of the associated costs.
Vaccination, however, may now be necessary as a way to control the spread of bird flu, says the World Organization for Animal Health.
“While vaccines aren’t a stand-alone solution, we will provide up to $100 million in research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, to improve their efficacy and efficiency,” she wrote.
