WattAgNet: Iowa seeks $1.1 million for avian influenza response

Iowa officials are seeking $1.1 million in funds to fund avian influenza response activities.

From WATTAgNet:

Officials with the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management submitted a $1.1 million request to the Iowa Executive Council under a statewide disaster emergency declaration to cover costs associated with the response to the avian influenza outbreak that has severely hit the state’s egg industry.

Bill Northey, the state’s agriculture secretary, said the avian influenza ranks as Iowa’s worst animal health emergency, and could cost federal and state agencies up to $300 million in the cleanup, disposal and disinfection. That does not include the financial losses poultry producers are experiencing.

Iowa ranks second to Minnesota nationwide in the number of locations with confirmed cases of avian influenza, but in terms of birds affected by the virus, no state has been hit harder. According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Iowa has had more than 31.7 million birds affected.

Iowa’s Sioux and Wright counties alone have had more than 7 million birds affected, while Buena Vista County has had more than 6.6 million birds affected. The last case of avian influenza confirmed in Iowa occurred on June 19, affecting 1 million layers in a Wright County operation.

Bookmark the WATTAgNet avian influenza update page for news and analysis concerning the virus and its impact on the poultry industry.