USDA to consider new bird flu vaccination plan for poultry

USA – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in the process of evaluating a possible vaccination program for poultry to manage bird flu outbreaks, a move that could impact international trade of U.S. poultry products.

The agency told Reuters that the plan is still under development and will assess how immunization could influence exports, as the country’s worst animal-health crisis continues.

Since 2022, nearly 175 million birds—including chickens and turkeys—have been culled in efforts to contain the highly pathogenic avian influenza that has severely disrupted the poultry industry.

This situation has led to historic spikes in egg prices, causing supermarkets to limit purchases, restaurants to adjust their menus, and food companies to boost egg imports from countries like Brazil, South Korea, and Turkey.

In response to the crisis, the USDA has committed up to US$100 million for vaccine and treatment research, aiming to find longer-term solutions.

As a next step, the department is collaborating with state agencies and industry groups to finalize a written plan that can be presented to foreign trading partners to determine if vaccines would trigger new trade restrictions.

Industry representatives expect the USDA to complete the proposal by July, amid ongoing talks with stakeholders at various levels.

Dr. John Clifford, a former chief veterinary officer at the USDA who now advises the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, emphasized that trading partners will need a detailed strategy before making any decisions on vaccine-affected imports.

The debate over vaccinating poultry has long divided the industry, with egg and turkey producers pushing for protection while chicken meat exporters express fears of losing market access.

Chicken meat producers are particularly cautious, as they depend more on exports than egg or turkey farms and have not experienced the same level of losses from the outbreak.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the USDA has already spent over US$1 billion compensating farmers for losses from culled flocks.

Dr. Craig Rowles, an executive at egg company Versova, said the current approach is unsustainable and called for a change in disease control strategies.

Proposal from Egg Producers

The United Egg Producers group submitted a vaccination plan to the USDA in January, which was developed by a team of veterinarians including Clifford and Rowles.

Their recommendation involves giving initial vaccines to chicks, followed by booster shots and regular testing of flocks to detect outbreaks early.

Flocks that test positive would still be culled under the plan, which the group believes would ease concerns from trading partners.

Meanwhile, the National Chicken Council said it would support vaccines only if exports remain unaffected, cautioning earlier this year that any form of poultry vaccination could endanger international sales.

Glenn Hickman, president of Hickman’s Family Farms in Arizona, criticized chicken meat producers for resisting a plan he says could save his business, which lost 95% of its flock, about six million birds, since May.

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