Northwest Iowa — We’re just beginning to feel the economic impact that the bird flu is having in northwest Iowa. That from one expert in the field.
We had a chance to visit with an Associate Scientist and Business Analyst at the Iowa State Egg Industry Center. Maro Ibarburu says that over a thousand jobs could be directly affected in Iowa alone by H5N2 Avian Influenza.
In addition, a huge number of eggs will not be produced, and that also has far-reaching effects, says Ibarburu.
Ibarburu emphasizes these are very preliminary figures.
He says at this point it is still unknown how the outbreak will affect food prices.
He says that according to some reports that he’s heard, another impact is that some food companies are exploring options for removing some of the eggs in their products, and he says that would also have a lasting impact on the number of eggs needed in the market in the future.
Ibarburu says the numbers at this point would indicate that there is going to be a large impact.
He says consumers need to keep in mind that experts have said that no human has ever been infected with H5N2, and that there is no food safety risk if consumers take normal food safety precautions.
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