Cheektowaga, N.Y. (WBEN) - U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer was outside Alton’s in Cheektowaga on Monday, calling on the Trump administration to look into ways to help prevent the spread of bird flu, which has been leading to a significant increase in the price of eggs.
"Alton’s has been a staple in Western New York for over 40 years, but recently restaurants like Alton’s and families in Buffalo have been shell-shocked by higher egg and grocery prices. Egg prices are skyrocketing because of bird flu, driving costs up for families, farms, diners, and small businesses. In November, a dozen eggs cost about $4 in New York, which is already high, but now the average is nearly $6, and with bird flu getting worse this problem could quickly spiral into a crisis," said Sen. Schumer on Monday. "Last year I secured millions to help contain this disease and we need the new administration to surge biosecurity efforts to beat back bird flu. We need a robust, coordinated federal response to crack down on bird flu and I am committed to working in a bipartisan way with the new administration to get grocery prices lower and that starts with getting a handle on bird flu. The health of our livestock, our restaurants, and Western NY families’ wallets depend on it."
Schumer says Alton’s has felt the strain of rising costs, particularly the significant increase in egg prices. Just a few months ago they were able to get 30 dozen eggs for $50 a case, and now the diner is seeing prices climb to $180 a case.
Schumer said that the federal government must invest in biosecurity efforts including isolation, sanitation, and more personal protective equipment (PPE). The senator called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health, among other federal agencies, to engage in a coordinated federal response to manage this bird flu outbreak.
HHS invested $300-plus million before the new administration took office and the USDA has said that preparedness is the key to keeping Americans healthy and our country safe. Schumer said that as Congress continues to negotiate the Farm Bill, which regulates the federal budget for agricultural-related programs, the new Congress and the new administration must continue to prioritize investing in helping farms detect and contain bird flu.
"The bottom-line here is that we do not want farmers, the feds, or consumers at the grocery store to scramble with this threat of bird flu sustaining into 2025. We want to try and keep grocery prices in check, and that means keeping the new Congress and the new administration laser-focused on ending this latest bird flu outbreak," Schumer said.
Under the Biden administration, the CDC made plans to award approximately $111 million in funding to enhance our ability to monitor the bird flu at the local, state and national levels, including $103 million to increase monitoring of individuals exposed to infected animals, testing, and outreach to high-risk populations (such as livestock workers) and $8 million to manufacture, store, and distribute influenza diagnostic test kits for virologic surveillance. The NIH made plans to award approximately $11 million in funding for additional research into potential medical countermeasures for the bird flu.