Why Is The Current Bird Flu So Deadly?

Nov 09, 2022

What’s making the latest strain of bird flu so deadly? Avian influenza used to mostly affect poultry, and while it continues to decimate poultry populations around the world, the latest strain, H5N1, is spreading widely among wild birds. It also seems to be spreading to mammals more frequently.

“Something is quite different about this virus this go around,” Rebecca Poulson, a wildlife disease researcher at the University of Georgia, told Nature.

Researchers aren’t sure why the current outbreak hasn’t disappeared, but they believe mutations may have increased its ability to replicate or to infect a broader range of species.

Click here to see more...

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.