The co-chairs of the Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses – Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and Reps. Steve Womack (R-AR) and Jim Costa (D-CA) – wrote to the US Department of Agriculture to seek assurances to protect US chicken exports should vaccination be contemplated as part of any government strategy to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza.

With the recent attention around increased egg prices due to HPAI, there have been renewed conversations about whether the US should vaccinate its commercial poultry flocks against the virus.

“However,” the members wrote, “there should be a very clear distinction between all ‘poultry’ to protect America’s family farmers and global trading relationships. To be clear, vaccination in any poultry sector – egg layers, turkeys, broilers, or ducks – will jeopardize the entire export market for all US poultry products.”

The letter pointed out that broilers, or chickens raised for meat, are an entirely separate industry from the egg-laying sector, with distinct supply chains, geographic footprints, housing structure, bird lifespans, biosecurity practices and trade portfolios.

During the current outbreak, of the total birds affected, more than 77% have been commercial egg-laying hens, 12% commercial turkeys and 8% commercial broilers, according to the USDA. The other impacted species have been ducks, backyard poultry, and game birds.

“The problem is that most US trading partners do not recognize countries that vaccinate as free of HPAI due to concerns that vaccines can mask the presence of the virus. Therefore, US trading partners do not accept exports from countries that vaccinate, either for specific product categories, regions that vaccinate, or for all poultry from the country,” the members said. “In other words, if an egg-laying hen in Michigan is vaccinated for HPAI, the US right now would likely be unable to export an unvaccinated broiler chicken from Mississippi.”

The US broiler industry is the second largest exporter of chicken in the world, exporting about 16% of its chicken meat production valued at more than $5 billion annually.

“This is what is at stake in the HPAI vaccine discussion: a potential $10+ billion annual loss to the US economy and American broiler farmers feeling a huge brunt when they have been the least affected by HPAI,” the members continued. “While some trading partners may levy temporary restrictions, others could be indefinite. A widescale HPAI vaccination program in the US, without first strengthening our animal health trade agreements, could cause our trading partners to take action that would significantly harm our domestic poultry sector.”

“I want to thank Senators Wicker and Coons, and Representatives Womack and Costa for leading this effort,” said National Chicken Council President Harrison Kircher. “We strongly agree that as the administration contemplates an HPAI strategy, any such action be predicated with robust trade protections for America’s broiler producers. The potential export losses that are likely to occur as a result of vaccination would have a devastating impact on thousands of family farmers who raise the birds. The industry least affected by bird flu stands the most to lose here. We support the Trump Administration and their goals to bring down food inflation, cut regulatory red tape, and increase our global competitiveness. We stand ready to work with the Administration and Secretary Rollins.”

Source: National Chicken Council