The discovery of avian influenza in wild birds has the U.S. poultry industry on high alert. USDA has a wild bird surveillance system, and they test thousands of samples each year to check for diseases like this.
Just in the last few days, positive cases of a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu has been found in North and South Carolina. The director of the National Wildlife Disease Program says that this could have broad implications for the poultry industry.
According to APHIS’s Dr. Julianna Lenoch, “That greatly increases the chance of a detection in a backyard flock or in a commercial flock.”
Some producers are ramping up their biosecurity measures.
An outbreak seven years ago killed 50 million commercial birds, costing the industry more than $1.5 billion dollars.
APHIS’s Dr. Rosemary Sifford spoke with RFD-TV’s own Janet Adkison on the threat to ag and how poultry producers can strengthen their biosecurity.
Related:
Two more cases of avian influenza found in wild birds in the Carolinas
S. Carolina state vet weighs in on HPAI confirmation
N. Carolina state vet on HPAIs threat to poultry producers