Is it enough?
The U.S. will allocate up to $1 billion to address the spread of bird flu, with plans to increase egg imports, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Wednesday. The ongoing bird flu outbreak has caused the death of 166 million chickens in U.S. poultry farms since 2022, according to USDA data.
In addition to the toll on poultry, the virus has affected nearly 1,000 dairy herds and infected almost 70 people, including one fatality, since the beginning of 2024. To combat the spread, the USDA will dedicate up to $500 million for free biosecurity audits on farms and $400 million to increase compensation for farmers required to cull infected chickens, Rollins explained during a conference with state agriculture officials.
Part of this funding will be sourced from budget cuts to USDA spending, as mentioned in an op-ed by Rollins in the Wall Street Journal. The USDA is also investigating the potential use of vaccines for chickens, though Rollins noted that the poultry industry remains divided on vaccination due to concerns about potential trade impacts.
The administration also plans to increase egg imports while reducing exports to help address the rising domestic egg prices. Turkey has agreed to export 15,000 tons of eggs to the U.S. through July. Additionally, the Biden administration allocated over $800 million to fight bird flu in livestock last May, with approximately $450 million of that amount still available, a USDA official confirmed at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture conference.
