(SBA) - Since 2022, more than 100 million birds have been impacted by bird flu – scientifically known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) – which is a contagious disease that is extremely fatal for domesticated turkeys and chickens. Of those over 100 million birds, nearly 25% have been in Iowa– making our state the epicenter of this crisis while devastating producers, destroying flocks, and impacting entire communities. This outbreak is especially alarming for farmers and producers in the 4th Congressional District, which ranks first in the nation for egg production and among the highest in turkey production. We need a farmer-informed, cost-effective, limited-government solution to combat bird flu.
Unfortunately, the response at the federal level has been lackluster at best. Farmers and producers have been left in the dark by bureaucrats in Washington about ways to stem the spread of HPAI and measures that can be taken to limit infections, receive accurate indemnity payments, and protect their flocks. USDA’s claims that their efforts in D.C. are working do not align with the reality on the ground for our producers and their families who are looking for guidance and direction.
That’s why I recently led a group of my House Agriculture Committee colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to demand the USDA establish a Strategic Initiative to combat the spread of bird flu in Iowa and nationwide. This initiative – which would be housed within the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – would help defend our farms from deadly disease outbreaks and ultimately save taxpayers money by establishing a proactive approach to mitigate, prevent, and respond to HPAI infections. The financial impact of this crisis is projected to easily surpass the $3.3 billion in damages from the previous outbreak from 2014 to 2015 and action is needed now.
Our request includes three main objectives. We want to investigate new and enhanced biosecurity measures, explore potential vaccination efforts, and discover more efficient and cost-sensitive ways to destroy infected birds. This means deterring wild birds, prioritizing vaccine research and efficacy, and helping producers depopulate infected flocks while appropriately compensating them for their losses. We also want to see USDA work in conjunction with the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees; land-grant universities like Iowa State University; dairy, egg, and poultry producers; state and federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; and other relevant experts to develop additional goals.
Bringing the brightest minds together to combat this disease will be crucial to the long-term success of our producers, businesses, and rural communities. The uncertainty that HPAI causes to the entire agricultural community is unsustainable, and we need to do more to adequately protect our flocks and our producers. USDA has the authority to establish a HPAI Strategic Initiative and I look forward to working with Secretary Vilsack to get this collaborative research started as soon as possible.
Representing the top egg-producing district and one of the top poultry-producing districts in the country, I will continue to advocate for policies that help our poultry and egg producers succeed and combat the root causes of bird flu outbreaks.
