USDA details new plan to tackle bird flu and lower egg prices
The price of eggs have surged and became a signature issue of the 2024 election. The Trump administration on February 26 detailed its plan to take on bird flu and reduce prices.
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
(CNN) — In a new op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins outlined a new strategy she says will mitigate the spread of bird flu and lower the price of eggs — a signature issue of the 2024 election.
Rollins says the USDA will invest $1 billion in the new plan, which will be paid for, at least in part, by Department of Government Efficiency cuts.
According to Rollins’ op-ed:
- USDA will spend $500 million to help enhance biosecurity measures to help keep the virus off farms. This can include restricting access to farms, increasing sanitation and improved hygiene. Rollins said USDA will expand a pilot program started under the Biden administration which sends USDA inspectors to assess biosecurity measures on farms.
- The US government will spend $400 million to reimburse farmers with affected flocks. The US already compensates farmers for the loss of their chickens. In December, USDA added a requirement that poultry producers pass a biosecurity audit before they could be compensated.
- USDA, which regulates vaccines for animals, is exploring the use of vaccines and therapeutics but it hasn’t authorized use of any yet.
- The US will cut back on regulations on egg producers and “make it easier for families to raise backyard chickens.”
- The US government will consider temporary imports of eggs to reduce prices
Importantly, the agency stopped short of authorizing the use of a bird flu vaccine for poultry in the United States. US poultry producers have strongly resisted vaccinating their flocks because America is a leading exporter, and many countries won’t accept birds that have been vaccinated.
The World Organization for Animal Health says vaccination may now be a necessary measure to control the spread of bird flu, which has moved from being a seasonal scourge to becoming a year-round threat for many different species of mammals, including dairy cattle.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
