Chicken

More Funding Going to Tackle HPAI H5N1, Egg Imports are Now Underway to Stabilize Supply

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:05:23 GMT

On Thursday morning, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins gave an update on progress the Trump administration is making on the five-prong strategy it unveiled Feb. 26 to combat avian influenza virus type A (H5N1).

Speaking to industry stakeholders, media and offices of elected officials, Rollins focused on the administration’s work to lower egg prices and improve supply, while also emphasizing the importance of biosecurity in protecting U.S. poultry flocks from the virus.

Regarding egg prices, she said wholesale prices are down nearly 50% from their peak in late February from $8.53 then to $4.08 currently.

However, Rollins said she realizes that wholesale prices don’t automatically show up as reductions in retail prices.

“I know for some of us who are shopping that we’ve seen egg prices drop immediately, which has been true for me. But then we’ll hear from people in other parts of the country where they have yet to see that reduction on their grocery store shelf.”

With Easter just a few weeks away, she acknowledged that egg demand is always “unusually high during the season,” and that egg prices could potentially move back up.

To help address the egg shortage, Rollins noted that shell egg exports have declined by 8%, “keeping more eggs in the U.S. and lowering prices.”

In addition, the Trump administration is allowing egg imports as a temporary measure to stabilize prices and supply. Rollins’ chief of staff Kailee Buller said this measure would likely be discontinued once those measures were achieved.

USDA Focuses On Biosecurity For Poultry Operations
Rollins said biosecurity in poultry flocks will continue to be a major part of the Trump administration’s plan to address H5N1, moving forward.

“Our pilot programs have proven that biosecurity is the most important thing our farmers can do to protect our flocks against the disease, at least right now,” she said.

The USDA is working closely, she said, with its federal partners including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “combat avian flu as a unified federal family.”

On Wednesday, USDA announced it is expanding the availability of its biosecurity assessments to commercial poultry producers.

“These assessments, which were previously available on a limited basis have been extremely successful in improving biosecurity on individual premises and preventing the introduction or spread of avian influenza,” Rollins said.

While USDA is exploring the viability of vaccinating poultry for H5N1, she said the use of any vaccine for poultry or any animal species has not been authorized at this time.

“I know there has been some misreporting on that,” Rollins said. “The day we rolled out the plan, I actually talked about the fact that we’re not ready to vaccinate. We need to do some more research, and so that has not changed, but I do look forward to this next process of learning more about getting more research done and perhaps seeing what makes sense for the country moving forward, once that is concluded.”

Dairy Is Not Part Of USDA’s Primary H5N1 Focus
No information was offered during the conference call to address the issue of H5N1 in dairy cattle or other livestock or animal species.

Mike Watson, administrator of USDA-APHIS, said right now USDA is focused on the poultry vaccine.

“We’re looking for a vaccine that has sterilizing immunity but also an opportunity for us to have different introduction methods for the vaccine right now, as injections are the only possibility,” he said. “We need new tools, whether it’s water based, aerosol based, those kind of things. We’re looking for manufacturers to really look at what those options might be, to really provide us with a vaccine that matches the current strain but also is highly effective. And again, this is really focused on poultry.”

Buller said there is already quite a bit of research at USDA on the topic in dairy.

“Please rest assured, we are thinking of you all (in dairy). We know you all are impacted. But for this particular strategy, we have been hyper-focused on the poultry side. USDA has separate work streams as we’re working through this on the cattle and dairy side.”

One of the media asked whether Sec. Rollins had talked further with HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his idea of letting H5N1 burn through poultry flocks to identify birds that might have immunity or show resistance to the virus.

Buller answered the question, as Rollins had stepped away from the call. “I have not been engaged specifically with those conversations with the Secretary and Secretary Kennedy,” she said. “They are talking very regularly and you are aligned on the approach, but in terms of that specific topic, there’s no further light I can shed on that at this time.”

Assessments Available To Poultry Operations
USDA is offering two different, free, voluntary biosecurity assessments for poultry operations not currently affected by HPAI.

The first is a wildlife biosecurity assessment. The second is a general biosecurity assessment. Poultry producers can request one or both of these free assessments.

Per the wildlife biosecurity assessment, Rollins said USDA will conduct on-farm assessments at poultry facilities and provide recommendations to producers for facility repairs and wildlife management techniques. The assessments include a series of regular engagements, including wildlife hazard identification surveys, wildlife abundance surveys and wildlife management on the premises.

“USDA has assessed approximately 130 facilities to date (in 2025), and plans on doing significantly more moving forward and expanding that program,” she said.

For the general biosecurity assessment, USDA will work with poultry producers to review biosecurity plans and physical measures.

“This is a proactive resource for premises that are outside of avian flu control areas to identify and mitigate potential biosecurity gaps,” she said.

Funding Is Ramped Up To Address HPAI In Poultry
The USDA announced on Thursday that up to $100 million in funding will be available to support projects on avian influenza, prevention, therapeutics, vaccines and research.

“USDA will invest up to $100 million in these projects, which will identify and foster innovative solutions to fight avian flu and directly support American producers,” Rollins said during the conference call.

Funding is available through a competitive process to for-profit organizations, including manufacturers of vaccines, biologics and therapeutics, as well as states, universities, livestock producer organizations and other eligible entities, she noted.

USDA will prioritize one or more of the following. First, it will support the development of novel therapeutics to address HPAI in poultry. Second, it will support research to further understand the risk pathways of avian influenza for producers and to inform improved biosecurity and response strategies.

“Let me just say, as a quick aside, I’ve had multiples and multiples and multiples of conversations with some of our chicken farmers across the country —many of them have been highly successful at not having the bird flu infect their populations,” Rollins said. “Better understanding of risk pathways and realizing what best practices are is a big part of (this work).”

The third focus is on the development of novel vaccines to protect poultry from H5N1 while promoting biosecurity.

“That will all be part of the research funding opportunity that we announced about an hour and a half ago,” Rollins said.

USDA will test the efficacy of therapeutic interventions to prevent the virus and treat infected flocks.

“USDA, in consultation with HHS, has already had multiple conversations with Secretary Kennedy and leaders in the NIH and CDC, but will also be exploring prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in agriculture and in humans, to ensure limited impact on American farmers,” Rollins noted.

USDA is offering a webinar to assist interested applicants in learning more about the funding opportunity and how to submit a proposal on Tuesday, April 1 at 12 p.m. Eastern. No details on how to participate in the webinar have been communicated yet.

“As we try to do everything under this president and here at USDA, we will be as fast and efficient and effective as we can possibly be, working around the clock,” Rollins said.

Buller added that Sec. Rollins and her staff will continue to host update calls regularly.

“It’s very important to Sec. Rollins that we are showing progress on this five-prong plan and being honest and open with the public about what we’re up to and the progress and potential challenges that we have ahead,” Buller said. “We have an open door here, and we remain open to having conversations and hearing from stakeholders.”

Hemp Seed Livestock Meal Receives Green Lights On Way to Federal Approval

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:07:07 GMT

After years of work and regulatory paperwork, the The Hemp Feed Coalition announces Hemp Seed Meal for laying hens has been recommended by FDA-Center for Veterinary Medicine and voted by AAFCO into their Ingredient Definition Committee for the final step in the approval pathway.

The definition allows hemp seed meal up to 20% into feed mixes for laying hens. This marks the first hemp feed ingredient to get federal recommendation and uptake by AAFCO.

Wendy Mosher, CEO at New West Genetics and vice president of Hemp Feed Coalition, says this is something that has been in the works for at least four years.

“There’s a lengthy process for any new crop to get ingredient approval, but it’s worth it, you can’t have commodity crop without a feed opportunity for that crop,” Mosher says. “Federal approval gives us a leg up into adoption and scale.”

Mosher says before deregulation in 2014, hemp acres were zero, then by 2020, climbed to a peak of around 400,000 acres. Today, total U.S. hemp acres are reported around 55,000.

“I think this is a positive thing—it shows with the right incentives crops can be expanded rapidly, and that those participants with long term vision are still here, and are building the markets in a sustainable fashion. Hemp is a great opportunity for the crop rotation as well as soil health” Mosher says. “Hempseed meal as a feed ingredient contributes to the risk mitigation of planting the crop—it’s another place for the crop to go.”

As a feed ingredient, the coalition cites hemp grain providing essential vitamins, minerals, healthy oils, and a complete protein profile. For egg production, this can lead to a value-added product with higher omega 3 content. It has been verified that any potential cannabinoid contaminants do not transfer into the egg product.

With the regulatory obstacles starting to be removed, Mosher is optimistic about the educational opportunities for the market to increase in size.

“Hemp can serve the same basic protein and oil markets that currently use soybeans or canola,” she says. “Feed manufacturers are seeing success, including Wenger Feeds in Pennsylvania who make hemp feed for Kreider Farms’ eggs. In the next year we hope to get some additional adoption by some larger players.”

Mosher highlights her company, New West Genetics, has been developing improved hemp varieties to double grain yield.

“We’ve got momentum in hemp as we are providing high yielding and adapted genetics for hemp production in the U.S., and the industry is also near the finish line on this feed approval,” she says. “It’s a moment we’ve been waiting on for 10 years. In the not so distant future, we hope to see hemp on the million acre scale.”

Second Mistrial In Poultry Price-Fixing Case

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:37:42 GMT

The U.S. Justice Department has tried and failed twice in its efforts to prove price-fixing among chicken industry executives.

A federal judge in Denver has declared a second mistrial after a jury deadlocked over whether 10 chicken company executives had conspired to fix prices. The first trial ended in December 2021.

U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer ended the case on March 29 after jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict after four days of deliberations. The 10 executives had worked for Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., Perdue Farms LLC, Claxton Poultry, Tyson Foods Inc., Koch Foods Inc., Case Farms and George’s Inc.

The DOJ alleged the executives engaged “…in a continuing combination and conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by rigging bids and fixing prices and other price-related terms for broiler chicken products sold in the United States.”

Should the government seek a third trial as they have indicated, Judge Brimmer is demanding an explanation from the head of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter.

“I am going to order that the head of the antitrust division come in here within the next week and look me in the eye and explain to me why the government is going to retry this case,” Brimmer said Tuesday according to a Bloomberg report.

“If the government thinks that the 10 defendants and their attorneys and my staff and another group of jurors should spend six weeks retrying this case after the government has failed in two attempts to convict even one defendant, then certainly Mr. Kanter has the time to come to Denver and explain to me why the Department of Justice thinks that that is an appropriate thing to do,” Brimmer said.

The DOJ had alleged an eight-year conspiracy to fix prices, but the two mistrials suggest the difficulty in government efforts to police competition in food markets. The men had faced up to 10 years in prison and $1 million fines if convicted.

Jurors in both trials heard from Robert Bryant, a longtime Pilgrim’s Pride employee who’s currently on leave. As the government’s star witness, Bryant testified an industry-wide agreement existed to share price and bid information to inflate profits or limit losses, depending on the market.

Undermining Bryant’s testimony was the fact he appeared under grant of immunity from prosecution as he admitted that he had lied to the FBI “multiple times” on matters unrelated to the price-fixing probe.

Another prosecution witness was Tyson sales manager Carl Pepper, who told jurors about coordinating prices among the competitors.

Lawyers for the defendants argued that both men had lied to avoid prison. The defense argued that it’s not illegal simply to share pricing information and that the government can’t prove that the defendants all agreed to participate in a single, overarching conspiracy.

Related stories:

Judge Declares Mistrial In Chicken Antitrust Case

The Carbon-Neutral Pig and Chicken: The Pivotal Moment is Now

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 19:09:11 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM .

Installing solar modules. Injecting manure into the soil. Planting cover crops. Switching to LED light bulbs. Converting manure into energy. The list goes on and on when it comes to the number of ways pork and poultry producers are advancing conservation and sustainable farming practices in their operations.

Admittedly that sounds good on paper. But do those factors fully capture what sustainability means to a livestock operation?

“Your confusion is my confusion,” says Brett Kaysen, vice president of sustainability at the National Pork Board. “As an animal scientist, I am peppered daily to define sustainability. The United Nations would define it as a balance of economic, environmental and social concerns.”

The reality is that no universally accepted definition exists. Sustainability is defined by business owners and operators such as farmers as they see it through their eyes, Kaysen explains.

What Does It Mean to You?
For Sanderson Farms, the No. 3 poultry processor in the U.S., the term “sustainability” didn’t resonate early in its conservation journey.

“We didn’t like the term ‘sustainability.’ We thought it should simply be ‘responsibility,’” says Pic Billingsley, director of development and engineering for the company. “We’ve got a saying here that you can’t manage what you can’t see.”

In 2008, Sanderson Farms started looking more closely at its data, including natural gas and other utilities and products in its business that create emissions. Because they took the time to create a baseline, they can now evaluate what they’ve done to date to reduce their carbon footprint.

“If you’d told me 30 years ago that we would be able to do this, it would at times have been a reach to me,” Billingsley says. “Now we’ve got systems in place that take the methane gas off of our anaerobic lagoon as part of our wastewater plant. Then, it goes through and cleans it up to a natural gas–a pipeline-quality natural gas that we can use in our facilities.”

And that’s where conservation becomes important.

“Conservation to us means utilizing only that amount of natural resources that you absolutely have to have to do your business,” Billingsley says. “It’s simple. There’s nothing hard about it – you only take what you need.”

For other industry leaders, conservation and sustainability are synonymous. Farmers have to be environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable in order to be around for the future, and the terms capture those principles, says Ryan Bennett, executive director of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry and Eggs and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance.

“Conservation is usually focused more on that environmentally sound aspect of sustainability,” Bennett says. “But if what we’re doing is not also socially responsible and economically viable, it’s not possible to implement conservation practices. On the same hand, if we’re not doing something that’s environmentally sound, then we’re not going to remain economically viable and be able to continue to produce poultry and eggs in a sustainable manner in the future.”

An emphasis on conservation enables producers to both reduce impact today while also making decisions that will have beneficial outcomes for the poultry value chain in the future, Bennett explains.

Solar modules at Triple E Farms near Altona, Ill. Photo by Dan Erickson.

The Pivotal Moment is Now
Although transportation and energy use are the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, according to 2018 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, scrutiny is often placed on agriculture, which accounts for roughly 10% of emissions. Kaysen sees that as an opportunity for farmers to continuing be part of the solution.

“I’m not so sure that the pivotal moment in our journey to more sustainable livestock production isn’t now,” he adds. “Whether or not you believe the wildfires in California are attributed to climate change, there’s no debate that the climate is changing. We know that people on this globe have an impact on the environment. But we also know if there’s ever been a time in the history of the world, now’s the time where agriculture can be a part of the solution.”

Farmers have demonstrated they can capture and reduce carbon. In Kaysen’s mind, that’s a huge opportunity.

“Since Day 1, farmers have had this continuous improvement idea, and we’re committed to that. The beautiful thing for farmers in general is they can be part of the solution. But being part of the solution actually rewards them on farm, too,” he says.

The benefits extend beyond just economics.

“I like the word “reward” because it can mean a lot of different things. Often, we default to ‘How am I going to make money?’ That’s part of it, but there’s other rewards. I think this is an opportunity for farmers to be seen as climate change heroes.”

Sustainability and conservation efforts require your whole team working together, says Pic Billingsley. Photo by National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff.

Carbon-Neutral Livestock Production
One of the topics bringing animal protein groups together is feed, Bennett says. Many resources go into creating feed for poultry and pigs. Bennett and his colleagues across the protein complex want to explore how farmers and the industry can make even better use of the resources used to make feed.

“We have a shared vision of improving sustainability within our respective programs, and we realize there are many things we can work together on,” Bennett says.

The science and technology needed to reach these goals is still developing. Kaysen says improvements will require communication and collaboration.

“I think the barnyard—dairy, poultry, beef, lamb, pork— realizes that we’re stronger together than we are apart. We’ve got enough folks coming at us from the outside. We don’t need to do that from the inside,” Kaysen adds. “I do think there’s an opportunity for us to convene more often in a collaborative approach, while not disparaging each other.”

By 2035, Kaysen believes the pork industry can create a carbon-neutral pig. He applauds the dairy industry’s announcement on Earth Day this year to produce a carbon-neutral dairy cow by 2050.

“I think it’s bold, I applaud them for taking that step,” Kaysen says. “I think we’ll have the opportunity to prove it at a high level that the majority of pigs in this country are raised in a carbon neutral or carbon negative way.”

Whether you raise chickens or pigs doesn’t matter, Billingsley says. What matters is your commitment to take a deeper look at the products and inputs you use on your farm and to only use what you need. Then, you must work to convey those values so they become important to everyone in your organization.

“It’s got to be a culture,” Billingsley says. “Your whole team has to understand that for your company to be good, this is the world we live in today. This isn’t yesterday. The world today expects you to minimize your footprint on this earth.”

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Two-Headed Consumer Demands Change from Farmers, Food Companies

Sprawling Urban Development Threatens Livestock Production

Consumers Speak Up: Sustainable Farmers Wanted