The U.S. turkey industry has once again shown resilience amid a whirlwind year. The continuation of an unprecedented highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, the drafting of the 2023 Farm Bill, food safety initiatives, and various efforts to promote turkey products at home and abroad have kept the U.S. turkey industry more than busy. With the end of 2023 fast approaching, the National Turkey Federation is glad to say the industry is positioned for what promises to be a strong year ahead.
When HPAI struck in February of 2022, nobody anticipated how long the outbreak would last or how widespread detections would be. With stronger, more heat-resistant strains than the 2015 outbreak, detections were rampant in commercial poultry farms across the globe. Utilizing strategies developed with information gathered during the 2015 outbreak, the turkey industry immediately took action to mitigate impacts of the disease.