Tag Archives: avian influenza

Avian Influenza Hits Georgia Poultry Industry: Impact on Farmers, Consumers & Prices

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Gainesville, GA |

Poultry production is big business here in Georgia, accounting for more than a quarter of the state’s agricultural income. So, when a threat like the avian influenza finds its way into commercial production here in the state, industry experts, government officials and most importantly farmers all work together in addressing the problem quickly.

“I believe they have a really high level of awareness of the role that they play in preventing the disease, the virus from entering the farm. I think there’s a high level of concern, but it’s grounded in a lot of education and outreach that’s been going on for many years,” says Mike Giles, President of the Georgia Poultry Federation.

“It’s a big concern for the poultry industry. It affects our exports. It affects our markets. So, we want to make sure that we stamp it out as soon as possible. So, along with the Georgia Department of Ag and USDA, we, we have a very strong team to do this quickly,” says Dr. Louise Dufour-Zavala, Executive Director of the Georgia Poultry Lab.

After the infected flock has been depopulated by the State Agricultural Response Team, the priority then shifts to preventing the virus from spreading to surrounding operations. That’s where the Georgia Poultry Lab gets cranked up, testing thousands of birds in the area.

“What we have to do is make sure that the virus has not spread to a ten kilometer or about six-mile radius around that farm or beyond. So, the response includes surveillance of all those farms. So, we have to test twenty-two birds per house for all of those dozens and dozens of farms that are around that infected premise,” says Dufour-Zavala.

While this outbreak can be contained in the short term, it is a major concern that might stretch into the future.

“It’s in wildlife. So, it’s not like we can stop it very quickly because the source of the virus is in the wild bird and the migratory waterfowl, etc. So, it’s hard to tell exactly when we’re going to get out this because the viruses have their life cycles through wildlife. So, it’s very difficult to tell when we’re out of it. So, I think we’ll always have to be vigilant and be looking for it basically,” says Dufour-Zavala.

Consumers are certainly feeling the effects of this most recent bout with avian influenza, as egg prices have soared to more than four dollars per dozen.

“Late October of 2024, in our nation, we’ve lost between thirty to forty million hens that are producing eggs that we eat. So, just to give you some context on that, when our nation’s flock is, fully supplied or stocked to meet the demand, we can be around three hundred and twenty million hens. So, that’s a very significant reduction in the supply,” says Giles.

While the prices for these items might be alarming, their safety shouldn’t be as each product goes through rigorous testing before heading to market.

“We test a lot of chickens. We test all of the flocks anyways, even when we don’t have avian influenza around. We test every single flock before they go to market. Then, if we find it, we stamp it out. So, no, there is no danger of this getting into the food supply at all,” says Dufour-Zavala.

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Dairy Producers are Watching for Avian Influenza

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Athens, GA |

With nearly a hundred dairy operations around Georgia, responsible for two hundred and thirty-five million gallons of milk every year, it’s an important industry for the state’s economy. While rising input costs and low commodity prices are always a concern for producers, the recent detection of avian influenza within a few herds across nine different states has also caught their attention.

“This disease is obviously concerning. It’s relatively new to the dairy industry. We’re not entirely sure how it’s going to affect cattle moving forward. Overall, it will cause a little bit of loss in milk production for herds. We do see cattle that become clinically ill from this disease, but they tend to recover very quickly. So, the milk production will come back. We don’t see a significant amount of death loss, but it seems to be just an infection that comes in, affects a group of animals, and then tends to move out,” says Brad Heins, an Associate Professor with UGA Food Animal Medicine.

So, while it appears this disease provides no long term affect to the herd, it is something producers should have on their radar considering just how difficult it is to control.

“It is a disease that’s going to move. One of the ways that we’ve identified it as spreading it through wild foul. So, obviously those birds move from farm to farm. They’re chasing water supplies and feed ingredients. So, it is a disease that we’re going to continue to monitor and move, but we may not have a lot of control over it. Another way it’s moved is through cattle transportation. So, cattle that move from farm to farm have a risk of spreading this disease with them,” says Heins.

For thar reason, USDA has imposed more testing protocols, as each cow must now be tested by a certified and licensed Georgia veterinarian before being transported. It’s an additional, but necessary step to ensure both food safety and containment.

“Regulatory testing has added some additional guidelines for producers before they start to move cattle across state lines. So, it is some extra work they have to do. It is some homework on the part of the veterinarian as well as the farm, but a lot of dairy producers when they do move cattle, they have to do some regulatory testing anyways. So, it’s one more step they have to do, but it’s all designed to ensure a safe, healthy, and wholesome herd and food supply,” says Heins.

With that food safety being the top priority, FDA recently confirmed that pasteurization of milk consistent with the federal Grade “A” PMO kills any harmful pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms, including the highly pathogenic avian influenza. However, it could create a decrease in production, which is why there is one major symptom producers should be on the lookout for.

“The most common thing that we see with this new high path avian influenza in cattle is a loss in milk production. So, what we’re seeing is a thicker milk supply from that cow. She’s still producing some milk, but it almost has the consistency of colostrum or the early milk production she as after she has a calf,” says Heins.

By: Damon Jones