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Chicken Council chair says USDA needs to perform balancing act in handling avian flu vaccine

Todd Simmons

The new chair of the National Chicken Council says USDA has to perform a balancing act in how it handles an avian flu vaccine.

Todd Simmons, CEO of Arkansas-based Simmons Foods, became NCC chair last month.  He tells Brownfield USDA is taking the right approach to the potential use of a vaccine.

“A very healthy perspective of saying we’re going to use this in very specific areas to control an outbreak if it’s deemed to be out of control.  But they also understand that it could have significant trade impacts long-term.”

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is stockpiling two vaccine strains in the event of another outbreak.

The use of a vaccine could further impact poultry exports but Simmons says the key issue right now is prevention.

 

 

 

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