Rural Issue

Avian flu hits large Iowa egg farms

On Monday, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) announced five more “probable” cases” of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry farms in northwest Iowa.

The five new cases involve nearly 5.5 million egg laying hens.  That brings the total number of infected layers in Iowa to approximately 9.5 million, which represents about one-sixth of the egg-laying hens in the state.

IDALS held a conference call with the media on Monday afternoon to discuss the latest outbreaks and their efforts to contain the disease.  Participating in the call were Iowa secretary of agriculture Bill Northey and T.J. Myers, associate deputy administrator for veterinary services with USDA-APHIS.

AUDIO: IDALS media conference call on 4/27/15