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The co-chairs of the Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses wrote the USDA to seek assurances to protect America’s chicken exports should vaccination be contemplated as part of a strategy to combat HPAI. With the recent attention around increased egg prices due to HPAI, there have been renewed conversations about whether the U.S. should vaccinate commercial poultry flocks against the virus.
“There should be a very clear distinction between all ‘poultry’ to protect America’s family farmers and global trading relationships,” they wrote. “To be clear, vaccination in any poultry sector, including egg layers, turkeys, broilers, or ducks, will jeopardize the entire export market for all U.S. poultry products.”
The letter points out that broilers, or chickens raised for meat, are an entirely separate industry from the egg-laying sector. More than 77 percent have been commercial egg-laying hens, 12 percent of commercial turkeys, and eight percent of commercial broilers have been infected.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)