WASHINGTON — One month after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins announced the USDA’s bird flu response plan, egg prices have lowered and targeted investments are being received, the agency reports.
“Egg prices are falling, farmers are getting the relief they need, and we are seeing meaningful progress in the fight against avian flu,” Rollins said. “USDA is making targeted investments and driving innovation to keep our food supply strong and affordable — delivering real results for American families and producers.”
Wholesale egg prices have dropped nearly 50 percent from Feb. 26. New York’s wholesale egg price, which peaked at $8.53 per dozen in February, has seen a steady decline to $4.08 as of March 19.
The USDA’s Five-Pronged Strategy has seen the following updates:
· Strengthening biosecurity measures:
“To help prevent further outbreaks, USDA now offers two free, voluntary biosecurity assessments: one focused on wildlife risk mitigation and another on general biosecurity improvements,” the department said. “USDA is covering up to 75 percent of costs for the highest-risk biosecurity improvements.”
· Reducing regulatory burdens to expand supply and lower prices:
“The Department continues to explore ways to reduce the extent of depopulations while maintaining food safety standards,” USDA said.
· Expediting relief for farmers to accelerate repopulation:
USDA says that to assist with an expedited repopulation of layer hens and to give financial relief to farmers, the department is increased the indemnity rate by 2.41 times on Feb. 27. This increases the compensation per bird to $16.94.
· Investing $100 million in avian flu research and vaccine development:
“In consultation with HHS (Health & Human Services), USDA will also explore prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in agriculture and in humans to ensure limited impact on American farmers,” USDA notes. “USDA APHIS will host a webinar on April 1 at 12 p.m. ET that will provide details for interested applicants.”
· Exploring temporary import-export adjustments to stabilize supply:
“USDA has secured new egg import commitments from Turkey and South Korea, with discussions ongoing with other countries to further expand supply in the short term,” the department said. “U.S. shell egg exports have declined by 8 percent, ensuring more eggs remain in the domestic market to help stabilize prices.”
