Why the United States does not vaccinate poultry against avian flu

EITHERMaha, Neb. – Vaccines could be a key means to suppress avian flu and avoid the killing of millions of chickens, which blames egg prices averaging almost $ 6 per dozen. But the measure has been delayed in part due to the concerns that chicken exports could be endangered worth bills of dollars a year.

The United States Department of Agriculture has announced plans to spend $ 100 million to study vaccines against avian flu to combat the disease in concert with chicken, eggs and meat turkeys. That is part of a larger effort of $ 1 billion to invest in more protections to keep the virus out of the farms than President Donald Trump believes that he will help reduce egg prices.

Chicken meat producers are still the most resistant to vaccines due to concerns that meat exports could damage, which totaled almost $ 4.7 billion last year. Egg and turkeys producers sell most of their products in the United States and have been the most affected by the virus.

Why is a vaccine needed?

Without a new policy, including vaccines, the government will continue to kill each flock with an avian flu infection to limit the spread of the disease. Those deaths have totaled More than 166 million birds in the United States since 2022.

Most of the killed birds are egg set chickens, and the death of so many chickens is the main reason why egg prices continue to increase. The average price per dozen has reached $ 5.90, and somewhere in the country, it is much higher.

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Simon Shane bird veterinarian, who runs www.egg-news.comHe said the government doubts vaccines and change their policy of killing birds largely due to the opposition of the meat chicken industry.

“Basically, this is a political problem, and this only reached a critical point because the eggs are $ 8 to $ 9 per dozen, and it is shameful to the government, embarrasing the current administration,” Shane said.

Why do the US do not use a avian flu vaccine?

Before using vaccines, the government must decide how to devise an effective system and monitor outbreaks inside the vaccinated flocks that could not show any symptoms, said John Clifford, the former veterinary director of the USDA, who now works with an export group of the poultry industry. Once it is resolved, the industry can negotiate with countries to minimize commercial problems.

“What the industry wants is the ability to develop the strategic plan to share that with business partners and then discover what kind of impact will have on trade,” Clifford said.

There are fears that vaccination can allow the virus to remain without being detected in the flocks and mutate so that it could make more a threat to humans and allow sick birds to get into the food supply. As with other diseases, cooking the chicken properly at 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) will kill the aviar flu, but the industry and chickens buyers do not want it at all.

Read more: Do egg producers inflate prices during avian flu outbreak?

For meat chicken, known as fattening chickens, the virus is not so significant because these birds are sacrificed from 6 to 8 weeks of age and, therefore, have less possibilities of being infected compared to egg set chickens, which live 2 years or more. Also most fattening chickens are raised in the southeast, which has not had as many outbreaks as the west and western medium.

Another delay for the distribution of vaccination concerns. Egg farmers want to administer it through chicken or water feeding, saying that it is not practical to take millions of birds in a single barn.

It can also be difficult to notice the difference between a vaccinated bird and one that has been sick with the virus. That would put other nervous countries for importing meat.

“People have talked about how expensive the vaccinated populations would be monitored. And it would be. But where do we want to spend our money? Said Dr. Carol Cardona, an expert in Aviar flu at the University of Minnesota. “We are spending our money hand at this time in depopulation and buy eggs for breakfast.”

What shows the experience in other countries?

China and Mexico have been vaccinating their poultry for years, but adopt different approaches.

In Mexico, the chicken is vaccinated, but Clifford said the country does not kill herds when infections are found. That basically ensures that the virus is present in corral birds.

China still vaccinated the bands when infections are found, which has proven to be more effective in limiting the spread of the virus and the round in the shoots.

Clifford said that the United States would need to continue sacrificing flocks with outbreaks even after vaccinating, and that it could make sense to shoot only to the layers of eggs and turkeys, not to the fattening chickens.

Will egg prices help?

Do not expect great relief in the short term.

The USDA, who did not respond to a request for comments for this article sent last week, does not move to vaccinate immediately. And, independently, it will take time to raise new chickens.