Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad on Friday declared a state of
emergency in Iowa to deal with outbreaks of avian influenza that have wiped out
a quarter of the state’s egg industry.
The state of emergency continues through May 31, according
to a statement from Branstad’s office.
The state of emergency temporarily suspends regulatory
provisions pertaining to hours of service for commercial vehicle drivers
hauling poultry carcasses infected with or exposed to highly pathogenic avian
influenza.
Friday’s declaration came just a day after the federal
government’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) granted Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack authority to issue emergency assistance for producers
whose flocks have been affected by the virus.
Multiple
outbreaks of avian influenza have occurred most recently in Iowa, Minnesota,
Missouri, Arkansas, the Dakotas and Kansas leading to the depopulation of more
than eight million turkeys and chickens.
