(Statewide) – You’ve been hearing a lot lately about Bird Flu impacting Indiana’s poultry producers—especially since a positive test for the virus was found last weekend at an egg production facility for Rose Acre Farms near Seymour impacting 2.8 million birds.
However, there has been a lot of misinformation out there on social media when it comes to Bird Flu.
“Our poultry and egg supply remains safe,” says Becky Joniskan, President of the Indiana State Poultry Association.
Even though at least six commercial poultry farms across Indiana have had a positive test for the virus since the beginning of the year, state health officials stress that eggs and poultry products that are currently on grocery store shelves are still safe for you and your family to eat.
“We have safeguards that are in place,” she says. “We have testing 24/7, 365 days a year to detect health concerns so people can be confident in their food supply.”
She says a national poultry testing program was started nearly a hundred years ago to keep a different disease at that time called Pullorum Typhoid from spreading.
“The National Poultry Improvement Plan was started in the 1930’s—partially by a Hoosier. Over time, diseases that we test for and the protocols and test methods have evolved, but the poultry industry is very engaged and dedicated to doing all testing necessary to detect and control any disease,” says Joniskan.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health has also issued the following statement saying, “Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk; cooked poultry and eggs and pasteurized dairy products are safe to eat.”
Factors leading to higher egg prices
With each new poultry production facility that receives a positive test for the virus, federal and state health officials work to depopulate and disinfect the premises before restocking of the flock can take place. That has also caused a strain on egg and poultry supplies leading to an increase in prices.
“With prices and availability of product, that’s really a simple supply and demand equation,” she says. “We have had a number of avian influenza incidents and lost parts of our flock, and so there is just less product out there to sell. That’s really where you’re seeing the higher prices come. Hopefully, as that supply increases again we’ll see an easing up in prices.”
Emily Metz, President and CEO of The American Egg Board, released the following statement on Monday, which also explains the spike in prices due to the recent bird flu incidents:
“While farmers are doing everything they can to keep costs down, it’s important to know that egg farmers are price takers, not price makers. The volatility we’ve been seeing in egg prices reflects many factors—most of which are outside the control of an egg farmer. Eggs are sold on markets as commodities, like corn and wheat, and wholesale prices for eggs are driven largely by supply and demand.
“The national egg supply has been strained due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza—also known as HPAI or Bird Flu—which is devastating to egg farmers. In the U.S., we’ve lost more than 40 million laying hens in the past year to Bird Flu.
“The reality is the system for egg production is both complex and time sensitive. While we can’t predict the future, what we know right now is that our system is strained—and HPAI remains a clear and present risk to poultry flocks. It’s going to take a sustained period with no additional HPAI detections on egg farms to stabilize supply.”
According to USDA, Indiana ranks first in the U.S. for duck production, third for egg production and fourth for turkey production. Indiana’s poultry industry employs nearly 13-thousand Hoosiers and contributes more than $18.3 in total economic activity to the state.
(Story by our newsgathering partners at Hoosier Ag Today)
