Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Another 3.7-million egg farm hit by avian flu

Iowa has lost another huge egg farm to avian influenza, this one 3.7 million hens.

Another 5.3 million birds were hit at another Iowa egg farm earlier this month.

All the birds that have not died will be euthanized.

Iowa’s Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey announced this fifth outbreak in the state.
Northey added that there is “a belief” the avian influenza crisis will dissipate when the weather turns warmer, but added that the virus could return in the fall.

Minnesota has lost 55 farms, is under a state of emergency and estimates that it will face a $7.3-mlllion bill to compensate farmers whose flocks have been destroyed to stop the spread of the disease.

More than three million turkeys and chickens in Minnesota have been killed so far.

Ontario’s poultry industry is on pins and needles, hoping there will be no more than the three outbreaks so far – a turkey farm owned by the province’s largest turkey-producing family business, a broiler breeder chicken operation and a modest turkey farm across the road from the chickens. All of those farms are in Oxford County, but about 30 kilometers apart.


There are 10-kilometre quarantine zones around those two outbreak sites so more than 50 poultry farmers can’t move anything in, such as new pullets for egg-laying operations and poults for broiler and turkey farms.