{"id":2063,"date":"2025-02-28T11:40:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T11:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/28\/usda-details-new-plan-to-tackle-bird-flu-and-lower-egg-prices\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T11:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T11:40:17","slug":"usda-details-new-plan-to-tackle-bird-flu-and-lower-egg-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/28\/usda-details-new-plan-to-tackle-bird-flu-and-lower-egg-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"USDA details new plan to tackle bird flu and lower egg prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soaring egg prices have consumers boiling, and on Wednesday, the United States Department of Agriculture blamed rising costs on the bird flu epidemic and said it will take new steps to quell the outbreak. <\/p>\n

The new plan appears to have refocused the department\u2019s efforts around the goal of lowering egg prices. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said it could take a few months for egg prices to drop. <\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to take a little while to get through, I think the next month or two, but hopefully by summer.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a new op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday and a press release issued later in the day, Rollins outlined the new five-pronged approach, which will focus on increasing biosecurity on egg-laying farms and helping farmers who have lost flocks recover more quickly. She said USDA <\/strong>may <\/strong>temporarily allow imports of eggs to expand supply. <\/p>\n

Rollins said USDA was also exploring the use of vaccines and therapeutics in chickens to cut down on culling of birds, but the agency has not yet authorized any for use. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo every family struggling to buy eggs: We hear you, we\u2019re fighting for you, and help is on the way,\u201d Rollins wrote. <\/p>\n

The USDA will invest $1 billion in the new plan, which will be paid for, in part, by Department of Government Efficiency cuts. According to Rollins\u2019 op-ed: <\/p>\n

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  • USDA will spend $500 million to help enhance wildlife biosecurity measures to help keep the virus off farms. Rollins said USDA will expand a pilot program started under the Biden administration which sends USDA inspectors to assess biosecurity measures on farms. <\/li>\n
  • The US government will spend $400 million to reimburse farmers with affected flocks. The US already compensates farmers for the loss of their chickens. In December, USDA added a requirement that poultry producers pass a biosecurity audit before they could be compensated. <\/li>\n
  • USDA, which regulates vaccines for animals, is exploring the use of vaccines and therapeutics but it hasn\u2019t authorized use of any yet. Rollins said the agency would spend $100 million in research and development of new therapeutics. <\/li>\n
  • The US will cut back on regulations on egg producers and \u201cmake it easier for families to raise backyard chickens.\u201d <\/li>\n
  • The US government will consider temporary imports of eggs to reduce prices. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    Some felt the plan was not aggressive enough. <\/p>\n

    It <\/strong>doesn\u2019t, for example, expand the surveillance of milk to cover all states. Contaminated milk can contain high levels of virus before pasteurization. Out of 70 human H5N1 infections in the US this year, 41 of them have been associated with dairy farming, while 24 have been associated with poultry culling, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <\/p>\n

    Doug Corwin, a duck farmer on Long Island who recently had to cull his flock of 99,000 ducks after the virus was detected, said he was disappointed that the plan didn\u2019t put more emphasis on poultry vaccines. <\/p>\n

    Corwin says while biosecurity and surveillance is always helpful, he believes vaccines are the only way to stabilize the situation. <\/p>\n

    \u201cIt is a step in the right direction, but essentially they are doubling down on biosecurity,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

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    <\/span>CNN One Thing Bird Flu Isn\u2019t Trump\u2019s Fault. But It\u2019s His Problem. <\/p>\n
    If you\u2019ve been to the grocery store recently, you know egg prices are through the roof (if you can even find any). We explore how a growing avian flu outbreak is frustrating farmers and hindering President Donald Trump\u2019s plans to lower prices.Guests: Doug Corwin, President of Crescent Farms & Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Business and Politics CorrespondentHave a tip or question about the new Trump administration? Call us at 202-240-2895.<\/div>\n
    Feb 16, 2025 \u2022 26 min<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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