Senator John Zimmerman says time is of the essence when it comes to High-Path Avian Flu.
The ag industry’s fight against the virus is well into year three now. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled a billion-dollar strategy, and cases appear to have slowed lately.
Numbers from APHIS show no cases impacting more than 1,000 birds in more than a week. The last major infection was on February 25th at a commercial duck breeder in Indiana. On February 21st, more than 3 million egg layers were culled after an outbreak in Ohio.
USDA is also sending out a warning for barn cats. Washington-based “Wild Coast LLC” has recalled some frozen cat food due to HPAI contamination. The products are marketed as “Wild Coast Raw” and made with a free range chicken formula. Ag officials in both Oregon and Washington detected the virus in the food. The FDA says pet owners who use that food should watch for symptoms like lethargy and difficulty breathing.
