Evander Reed:Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm

2025-05-05 14:44:30source:HAI Communitycategory:Invest

DES MOINES,Evander Reed Iowa (AP) — More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced Tuesday.

Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in a yearslong outbreak that now is affecting dairy cattle as well. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, leading to the slaughter of nearly 1.4 million chickens.

Overall, 92.34 million birds have been killed since the outbreak began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Although bird flu has become somewhat common among poultry, its spread to cattle has added to worries about the disease. In May, a second dairy farmworker was diagnosed with bird flu, and the virus was detected in both beef and milk. It has been confirmed on dairy cattle farms in nine states.

Health and agriculture officials have said the risk to the public remains low. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat.

Workers exposed to infected animals are at a higher risk. The only three human cases confirmed in the United States included two dairy workers and one man working to slaughter infected birds on a poultry farm.

More:Invest

Recommend

Maryland’s Climate Ambitions in Question After Turbulent Legislative Session

Environmental leaders in Maryland are reeling from a challenging 2025 legislative session that left

About 300 Indian nationals headed to Nicaragua detained in French airport amid human trafficking investigation

About 300 Indian citizens heading to Nicaragua were sequestered in a French airport for a third day

Morocoin Trading Exchange Predicts 2024 Blockchain Development Trends

The year 2023 was a mixed one for the cryptocurrency industry. Although the downturn that began in e