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 At issue: whether to vaccinate poultry against the highly pathogenic
bird flu virus.
Hard-hit turkey producers in the Midwest say they will continue to
urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve a vaccine
to protect their flocks, even after the agency decided on Wednesday
against releasing a vaccine it was developing because tests showed
it was not effective enough.
Chicken farmers in states not yet hit by the bird flu, such as
Mississippi, are lobbying against approval of a vaccination program
without more testing and economic analysis. Many producers worry
vaccinated birds could spread the virus, while exporters say a
vaccination program could act as a trigger for rejection of U.S.
poultry in foreign markets.
James Sumner, president of the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council,
highlighted the economic risks of vaccinating birds but said the
organization did not have an official position on whether USDA
should approve a vaccination program.
"Certain segments of the industry certainly do want to vaccinate,
but it comes with complications," he said. "I don't think there are
too many countries that have vaccinated and found it successful for
their industry."
The stakes in the U.S. decision on whether to approve a vaccine are
particularly high for farmers who raise broiler chickens for meat.
U.S. producers export about $5.7 billion worth of poultry and eggs
each year, about three-quarters of which comes from the broiler
industry.
The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council estimates about $600 million
in trade losses in the first quarter of this year alone due to
restrictions imposed by importing countries because of bird flu
infections.
So far, most countries that have imposed restrictions due to the
outbreak have restricted shipments from geographic areas with
infections. However exporters worry that more buyers may impose
nationwide bans on imports of U.S. poultry if a vaccine is used. The
exact impact is unknown because the United States has never before
used a vaccine to fight highly pathogenic bird flu.
RARE SPLIT
The dispute over vaccination is unusual for the poultry industry,
where chicken and turkey growers usually present a united front on
issues involving regulation and trade.
The National Chicken Council, a trade group representing the broiler
industry, asked the USDA in a letter last month to determine how the
top 20 export markets for U.S. poultry would react to vaccine use
before approving an immunization plan.
The group also said it was uncertain that a vaccine would reduce the
number of infected flocks. Some poultry makers are concerned that
inoculated birds might "shed" the live virus, putting other birds at
risk of catching the fatal disease.
"We are opposed to using it without it being tested fully," Mike
Cockrell, chief financial officer of Sanderson Farms Inc, the third
largest U.S. poultry producer, said last week.
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For a vaccination program to be effective, it would need to be part
of a broader strategy, including improving disinfection methods on
farms and swiftly killing infected flocks, said John Glisson, vice
president of research for the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association.
Otherwise, it will be difficult to distinguish between flocks
infected with the virus and those that are vaccinated.
"We know we can't just vaccinate the birds and live with the virus,"
Glisson said. "We've got to get rid of this virus."
MINNESOTA WORRIES
The USDA has said it views the use of a vaccine as a last resort,
preferring attempts to eliminate the virus by quarantining infected
farms and culling birds there. The large death toll of birds in the
current outbreak is partly because of culling.
Even so, scientists at the USDA's Southeast Poultry Research
Laboratory in Georgia tested the vaccine that the USDA developed and
found it to be about 60 percent effective on chickens. They are
still evaluating its effectiveness in turkeys, according to the
agency. The USDA said it will encourage the development of other
vaccines and evaluate them when they are ready.
In poultry-rearing states hard hit by the virus, vaccination is
viewed as an important tool.
"For us in Minnesota, the biggest turkey-producing area in the
country, without that vaccine I worry about the future of the
industry," said U.S. Representative Collin Peterson, a Minnesota
Democrat and the ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee.
Farmers in Minnesota would like to begin vaccinating turkeys this
summer in anticipation of a potential resurgence of infections when
water fowl begin migrating south in the autumn, said Steve Olson,
executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. Bird
flu has wiped out about 9 million birds in the state.
Wild birds are thought to be carriers of the virus, which also can
be tracked onto poultry farms by people or trucks that come into
contact with contaminated feces. It may also be carried into barns
by wind blowing in contaminated dirt or dust.
(Editing by Frances Kerry)
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