Omaha, Neb. (AP) – Vaccines can be a major means Frotus birds of birds And avoid slaughtering millions of chicken, which is blamed on the average egg prices Almost $ 6. However, this step was partially late due to fears that it may endanger chicken exports of billions of dollars annually.
US Department of Agriculture Plans announced To spend $ 100 million to study bird flu vaccines to fight the disease in coordination with chicken, eggs and turkey groups. This is part of a $ 1 billion effort to invest in more protection to maintain the virus from farms that President Donald Trump believes will help reduce egg prices.
Vaccinated chicken producers remain due to fears that can harm meat exports, which total about $ 4.7 billion last year. Egg producers and turkey are selling most of their products in the United States and have been infected with the utmost virus.
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Why is the vaccine need?
Without a new policy, including vaccines, the government will continue Slaughter every flock With bird flu infection to reduce the spread of the disease. I have reached those deaths More than 166 million birds In the United States since 2022.
Most of the birds that were killed are chicken laying eggs, and the death of many chicken is the main cause of high egg prices. The average price per decoration was $ 5.90, and in part of the country, it is much higher.
Simon Shen, the veterinarian of poultry, who runs www.egg-news.comThe government said that the government is reluctant to use vaccines and change its policy of killing birds to a large extent due to the opposition of the meat chicken industry.
Basically this a Political issue“This has only reached his head because the eggs range from 8 to 9 dollars for dozens, and it is the embarrassment of the government – the embarrassment of the current administration,” Shin said.
Why does the United States not use a bird flu vaccine?
Before using vaccines, the government must decide how to devise an effective system and surveillance of the outbreak inside the vaccination herds that may not show any symptoms, said John Clifford, the former chief veterinarian in the US Department of Agriculture, who is now working with the poultry export group. Once this is discovered, the industry can negotiate with countries to reduce commercial problems.
“What the industry wants is the ability to develop the strategic plan to share this with commercial partners and then know the type of influence that will be on trade.”
There are fears that vaccination can allow the virus to continue to cut the herds and mutate in ways that can make it more threatening to humans and allow sick birds to enter food supply. As with other diseases, cooking the chicken properly to 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 ° C) will kill bird flu, but the buyer of industry and buyers do not want this at all.
For meat chicken, known as the Loil, the virus is not important because these birds are a massacre at the age of 6 to 8 weeks, and therefore they have a lower chance of infection compared to chicken laying eggs, which live up to two years or larger. Most of the painting is also raised in the southeast, which did not have many outbreaks such as the Middle West and the West.
Another delay to vaccinate the distribution of concerns. Egg farmers want to give it by feeding chicken or water, saying that it is not practical to give bullets to millions of birds in one fold.
It may also be difficult to know the difference between a ground bird and the disease with the virus. It would make other countries tense from importing meat.
People have talked about the cost of observing the population fortified. And it will be. But where do we want to spend our money? “We are spending our money on the fist now in the interruption of the population and the purchase of eggs for breakfast,” said Dr. Carol Cardona, a bird flu expert at the University of Minnesota.
What does the experiment appear in other countries?
China and Mexico vaccinated poultry for years, but they take different approaches.
In Mexico, the chicken is vaccinated, but Clevord said that the country does not fluctuate herds when there are infections. This mainly ensures that the virus is present in poultry.
China is still shining on the pieces of the pieces when the infections are found, which has proven to be more effective in reducing the spread of the virus and preparing to spread the disease.
Clecord said that the United States will need to continue to execute herds with the outbreak of the disease even after vaccination, and it may make sense to give the bullets only to the egg layers and turkey, not the broiler.
Will it help egg prices?
Do not expect great relief any time soon.
The US Department of Agriculture, which did not respond to the request to comment on this article that was sent last week, is clear that it is not transferred to vaccination immediately. Regardless, it will take time to raise new chickens.
“We will have to wait to replace it with the new chicks, and it takes 20 weeks even before they start a position,” Shin said. “So I don’t know where to get the eggs.”
Prices may reduce some extent later this year after the height of the demand, which occurs around Easter, if the mega egg farms in Iowa, Ohio, California and other places, can avoid more outbreaks.
The US Department of Agriculture expected that the average egg prices will be 41 % higher than an average of 2024 at 3.17 dollars per scales. This means $ 4.47 per scales, slightly lower than the current average.
