HPAI detections plummet year-over-year, but government and industry officials stress vigilance

Speaking on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA’s undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said safety measures are responsible for the decline in HPAI. She noted the USDA will continue its constant monitoring of the virus and was hopeful the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, will provide research “on all different consequential animal diseases” we’re facing. Ashley Peterson, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the National Chicken Council, said on the show that a vaccine could threaten exports of poultry meat and genetics. She said reaching an agreement with trading partners is vital before deploying a vaccine. “We export about 17% of our production, which equates to almost 7.5 billion pounds of chicken,” Peterson said. Click here for video interview