Bird flu outbreaks across poultry farms in the US are driving fears that we could see chicken prices rise even further, but Louisiana’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry told WWL there’s no cause for alarm just yet.
Ag Commissioner Mike Strain reports so far the US has lost at least 1.6 million chickens to the Bird Flu outbreak that he said appears to have been first detected in Israel over a month ago. Since then we’ve lost at least 51 flocks of commercial poultry and 28 flocks of backyard chickens.
The 2014-2015 Avian Flu outbreak drove chicken prices up 17%, and Strain said while he’s optimistic this outbreak can be contained, it’s still a very serious matter for the industry. Customers are already balking at poultry costs and Strain said prices for whole chickens are already around $2.10 a pound at grocery stores in the state.
“We are very concerned that this could have a very negative impact and drive up the price of poultry when we are already fighting food inflation,” said Strain, who added that bird flu transmission to humans is very rare.
The 2014-2015 outbreak required the liquidation of over 100 million fowl.
The outbreak has yet to get as far south yet as Arkansas, a key poultry supplier. Strain said the industry there is already on lockdown, canceling poultry shows and suspended the movements of chicks and tightened biosecurity.
Another factor that could cut this outbreak off before it hits 2014 levels is that it’s happening later in the season. Strain said waterfowl like ducks are largely responsible for transmitting the disease over state lines, and as the weather warms up migration will cease.