Dear Neighbor,
A joint meeting of the House's ag. finance and policy committees took place at the Capitol on Tuesday to receive updated information regarding avian influenza, which ravaged our state's turkey flock last winter and spring.
We heard reports from poultry producers, along with state and federal officials. In short, it appears the state is well-positioned to mitigate future outbreaks. The size and scope of the recent rash of avian influenza seemed to catch many off guard and, before things were brought under control, nine million birds were infected on more than 100 farms across the state.
A lot was learned from that experience and changes are in place to help contain avian influenza in the future. For starters, infected flocks will be depopulated much quicker. The goal now is 24 to 48 hours, where in some instances at the height of the outbreak last spring, it took several days or even longer to depopulate barns.
There also will be a new approach for case managers, with the state playing a larger role. This is good news because I have nothing but praise for the way state agencies – including the Board of Animal Health, the departments of agriculture, public safety, natural resources, and health – handled the recent outbreak. They did all they could to manage a very difficult situation.
Concern was expressed at the meeting over the way federal case managers rotated through sites every three weeks last winter/spring. Now, case managers will come from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and they will stay on any given job from start to finish. This will bring control closer to home with the hopes of improved response time, greater familiarity and improved consistency.
The Legislature provided $8.5 million to aid recovery efforts last spring, but some long-range plans also are in the works. The Legislature approved $18 million for a veterinary isolation lab in St. Paul and $8.5 million for a poultry-testing lab in Willmar through this year's bonding bill. These investments also should help us be better prepared for avian influenza into the future.
As I mentioned in a recent update, the state's turkey industry is rebuilding. Turkey plants are recalling workers and even expanding. Reports indicate at least 60 of the infected farms have restocked their barns.
Still, we are not exactly in the clear. Officials said during Tuesday's meeting that bird-migration season from this month to December is a crucial time to monitor avian influenza since the potential for it to spread increases. Also, sustained temperatures of 80 degrees or higher in the summer tamp down the virus, but we can already see the mercury starting to fall and even cooler weather is around the corner.
Even though chickens were not hit as hard in Minnesota as turkeys were by the last avian influenza plague, planning is taking place to handle them as well. Different strategies are needed for chickens vs. turkeys.
This is a developing issue and only time will tell how things unfold. Look for more information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Paul