Wisconsin Ag Connection - Rep. Kind Calls for Response Plan After Sixth Avian Flu Case

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Rep. Kind Calls for Response Plan After Sixth Avian Flu Case
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 04/24/2015

News of a sixth poultry farm in Wisconsin testing positive for the H5 avian influenza on Thursday is prompting one lawmaker to ask questions of the USDA's response plan to the deadly virus. Congressman Ron Kind from La Crosse sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting details of the agency's response to the bird flu spreading throughout the Midwest.

"The public needs to know the details of the USDA's plan to address and contain this outbreak," said Rep. Kind. "Hundreds of thousands of birds in Wisconsin have already been affected, and we need a multi-agency collaborative approach to eradicating this disease. This situation affects our agricultural economy and could become a public health concern. I'm calling on the USDA to respond to this issue with the speed and seriousness it requires."

Kind's letter was sent the same day that the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture confirmed a second flu outbreak in Barron County, at a commercial turkey farm. It's the sixth such outbreak reported in the state since last week.

State animal health officials say the turkey farm was immediately quarantined and that the remaining birds will be depopulated so they don't enter the food supply.

Officials are investigating how the virus entered the flock, but may not have answers for some time.

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