HHS boosts funding for avian flu response

Jan 06, 2025
By Farms.com

HHS allocates $306 million to combat avian flu spread in the US

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has allocated $306 million to enhance the country's response to the H5N1 avian flu.

According to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, while the risk to humans is low, preparation is vital. "These investments are critical to continuing our disease surveillance, laboratory testing, and monitoring efforts alongside our partners at USDA," he said.

The funding includes $183 million for regional, state, and local preparedness. This includes hospital readiness and training programs aimed at managing emerging pathogens like avian flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will receive $111 million to monitor exposed individuals and boost diagnostic kit distribution. Another $11 million is set aside for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research on H5N1 countermeasures.

In recent developments, the USDA confirmed avian flu outbreaks in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, and Miner County, South Dakota, affecting gamebird and poultry flocks.

Additionally, Pennsylvania officials suspect avian flu in the deaths of 200 snow geese in Northampton and Lehigh counties, with more wild bird warnings issued in Ohio, Illinois, and other states.

Efforts continue to track and contain the virus in both domestic and wild bird populations. For more information, visit USDA APHIS.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.