Chronicle Editorial

Beating back bird flu
     Though we’ve entered into a summer lull, Iowa poultry producers are staring down an uncertain future as the industry continues its ongoing fight against the dreaded bird flu virus.
     There have been no new cases of the disease in Iowa since June. However, wounds from its spring outbreak are still fresh. Around 30 million chickens and turkeys were euthanized in Iowa alone following the virus’ arrival. Our state was the hardest hit out of the 15 that were affected, and we’ll be feeling the economic repercussions for some time.
     Ag experts are admittedly unsure whether the virus will rear its ugly head come autumn. It’s widely believed the disease spread through migrating flocks of wild birds that carried the virus as they made their way to summer nesting grounds. Bird flu didn’t slow down until warm summer weather killed it off, which has led to widespread speculation that it might return once birds start moving in the fall.
     However, there’s reason for optimism. Last week U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a new vaccine has tested 100 percent effective at preventing the disease in chickens. The vaccine has yet to be tested in turkeys, but the recent news is indeed a welcomed development. Increased biosecurity at poultry sites can reduce the chance of an outbreak, but it doesn’t eliminate it completely. Creating a cheap and effective vaccine to protect against the virus is the poultry industry’s best shot at getting back on its feet.
     Despite these recent gains, the industry still faces an uphill battle. Vaccines pose problems for exporting meat and eggs abroad. A bird flu vaccine could essentially save birds and raise production levels, but all that means nothing if foreign markets refuse to accept American-raised poultry products.
     The ripple effect of the bird flu’s industry-shattering impact will be felt for years. Many producers in Iowa are still reeling, but some affected sites have been given the OK to restock their flocks after passing inspection. This seems ill advised. If industry experts are unsure whether the virus will strike again this fall, why let producers restock? According to reports, the U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to pay $200 million in compensation to producers and around $300 million in cleanup expenses. It’s simply irresponsible to restock affected sites if the risk of bird flu still looms on the horizon.
     It seems like the poultry industry should proceed with extreme caution in the months ahead. The bird flu crisis is poised to continue in some way or another, and the proper steps should be taken to avoid a massive outbreak like the one Iowa experienced this spring. Hopefully the bird flu vaccine continues to test well and hits the market before fall. The industry needs to be proactive instead reactive in the future, and it appears a few lessons have been learned from this unfortunate ordeal.
     We can only hope bird flu continues its retreat into irrelevancy. The poultry industry is a huge boon for rural economies like ours. Iowa might have weathered the storm for now, but more thorough precautionary measures will be important to protect jobs and economic stability in the future.