November 30, 2023

Bird flu hits Iowa, US poultry industry, death toll exceeds last year

In a significant blow to the poultry industry in Iowa, United States, another extensive flock of egg-laying hens has been hit by a highly contagious and lethal form of bird flu, pushing the total number of affected birds beyond last year's figures for the same period, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.

The latest outbreak occurred in Sioux County, where approximately 1.6 million birds were detected with avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

This recent incident has more than doubled the total number of affected birds in Iowa since mid-October, bringing the tally to 15 sites, ranging from backyard flocks to large commercial chicken operations, and involving nearly 3 million birds. This rate of detection is more than triple that of the same period last year, with the final virus confirmation in 2021 occurring on December 12.

The severity of the outbreak is largely influenced by the size of the infected facility, with Iowa being the leading egg producer in the nation. Commercial turkey flocks, often numbering in the tens of thousands, are also susceptible. Even the smallest affected flock this fall, a backyard group of different species, had 23 birds. The virus is commonly transmitted to domestic flocks by wild migrating birds, which may show no symptoms.

While this fall's infections in Iowa surpass last year's figures, the state managed to evade infections during the spring migration, which was devastating in 2021. Last year, approximately 16 million birds were affected in Iowa, leading to the lowest annual egg production in over a decade. Iowa produced about 12.2 billion eggs in 2022, down from 15 billion the previous year and a high of 17 billion in 2019.

Although egg production has rebounded this year, it is expected to fall short of the 2021 levels. Through October, Iowa has produced about 11.4 billion eggs this year, averaging over a billion each month, according to US Department of Agriculture data.

-      Iowa Capital Dispatch