By Ryan Hanrahan
Civil Eats’ Meg Wilcox reported that “as the holidays approach, bird flu is once again sweeping through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, infecting and killing more than 8.9 million turkeys, chickens, and ducks in the U.S. since September.”
“Consumers, however, are unlikely to feel a price squeeze this holiday season,” Wilcox reported. “A 50-state survey by the American Farm Bureau found retail prices for frozen turkey down by 16 percent in comparison to last year even though wholesale prices are up 40 percent, because retailers often sell turkeys as loss leaders. And turkeys will remain safe to eat as long as they are properly cooked.”
“Meanwhile, infectious disease researchers are increasingly concerned about the rapid evolution of the virus,” Wilcox reported. “There is much they still don’t understand about this strain of bird flu, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) often referred to as H5N1 for its dominant subtype, which has been circulating globally in wild birds since the early 2000s. But since it first spilled over into commercial poultry flocks in the U.S. in early 2022, the virus has made startling and alarming advances.”
Feedstuffs’ Kristin Bakker reported that “as of Nov. 21, USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service reported outbreaks in 90 commercial and backyard flocks just in the last 30 days, affecting more than 1.6 million birds. APHIS data show that nearly 184 million birds have been infected nationwide since the outbreak started in February 2022. Indiana has been the hotbed of activity in the last month, with outbreaks in 28 commercial and 21 backyard flocks infecting 666,310 birds, according to the APHIS dashboard.”
Source : illinois.edu