Senators Young, Ernst lead effort to address Avian Flu outbreak

Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and a group of colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide a roadmap and enhance the agency’s response to the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This letter outlines solutions that can be collaborated on as the Trump Administration responds to the outbreak. 

“The United States is now entering the fourth year of an outbreak of HPAI that has devastated farms, required the depopulation of more than 136 million birds on commercial poultry operations, and infected a small but growing number of farm workers. A new urgency is required from the USDA to address the evolving situation,” the lawmakers wrote. “We stand ready to work with you as you provide leadership on this vitally important issue, the largest animal health outbreak that the department has ever dealt with.”

In the letter, the senators proposed:

• A forward-looking strategy for vaccination in affected laying hens and turkeys;
• Outreach to partners overseas to protect and maintain international trade;
• The establishment of an HPAI Strategic Initiative to engage with industry experts and develop methods for prevention and response;
• Support for states using the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy;
• Ensuring auditors are both in place and qualified to carry out biosecurity assessments; and
• Revising indemnity rates for laying hens and pullets to accurately compensate impacted producers.

In addition to Senators Young and Ernst, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Tedd Budd (R-N.C.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), David McCormick (R-Pa.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) also joined the letter. Congressman Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4) led a companion letter in the House of Representatives.

Full text of the letter is available here.