As the seasons change, fall rings in migratory bird hunting, and this year comes with a warning about High Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
The North Dakota Extension is asking anyone who hunts waterfowl to be extra cautious this season. Wild birds are more likely to have increased exposure to the virus, which may increase the risk of infection. The Extension recommends that hunters dress game birds in the field when possible and practice good biosecurity to prevent any potential spread.
Those words of caution ring true for Senator Chuck Grassley as one egg producer in his home state of Iowa just lost more than a million birds to the virus. He says it is something producers and Congress need to take seriously.
“It’s a tremendous problem because there’s so much egg production in Iowa. In fact, we are number one. Avian Flu, I think that USDA and our Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Naig has good plans, but good plans still can work out to be catastrophic,” said Sen. Grassley.
Senator Grassley is among 10 lawmakers asking APHIS to spend more money getting HPAI under control and preventing more harm to producers’ bottom lines.
