Avian Flu Hits US Birds Hard

Millions of birds in the US have been killed by the deadly Avian flu virus including thirty-six bald eagles in fourteen states and an estimated 24 million poultry birds.  There is low risk posed to humans the Department of Agriculture says.  The virus is passed from wild, mostly migratory birds, as they fly south, which do not exhibit symptoms.  Farmed poultry is highly susceptible to the virus.  As a result egg prices have increased.  Eleven million egg-laying chickens have died in Iowa alone, the state that produces the most eggs.  Midwest zoos have moved their exotic birds indoors for protection.

The outbreak is the first since 2015.  The impact on the domestic poultry industry has been so severe that the US will import egg products from the Netherlands for the first time in more than a decade.  Up until now only Canada's liquid egg products have been certified for sale in the US.  The DOA's Food Safety Inspection Service has determined the Netherland's food safety system is equivalent to the United States and is able to insure product standards meet US regulations.  Consumers have responded to the egg shortages by buying more expensive organic and cage-free eggs, which is also better for the chickens.