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USDA announces next steps in efforts to fight HPAI

The USDA has announced its next steps to help the poultry industry combat highly pathogenic avian influenza.

During a stakeholder call on Thursday, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department will invest up to $100 million to support projects on avian influenza prevention, therapeutics, research, and potential vaccine candidates. “Which will identify and foster innovative solutions to fight avian flu and directly support American producers,” she says. 

According to the USDA’s website, the funding is available, through a competitive process, to for-profit organizations, including manufacturers of vaccines, biologics, and therapeutics, states, universities, livestock producer organizations, and other eligible entities.  The USDA says it will also test the efficacy of therapeutic interventions to prevent avian influenza and treat infected flocks.  The department will also work alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to explore prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in ag and in humans, to ensure limited impact on producers.

She says the USDA is also expanding the availability of its biosecurity assessments to commercial operations.  “These assessments have been extremely successful in improving biosecurity on individual premises and preventing the introduction or spread of avian influenza,” she says. “USDA is offering two free voluntary bio security assessments for operation not affected by avian flu.”

Those include a general biosecurity assessment and a wildlife biosecurity assessment.  Rollins says producers can request one or both.

To date, she says the USDA has provided assessments to approximately 130 facilities.