Statewide Iowa — Iowa egg and poultry producers are on high alert as China reports an H5N1 bird flu outbreak has occurred near the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
Iowa Poultry Association CEO and executive director Kevin Stiles says avian influenza is always top of mind for Iowa producers.
Stiles says Iowa’s poultry producers are better prepared now than they were five years ago as biosecurity is much improved.
Since the latest Chinese bird flu outbreak was the H5N1 strain, Stiles says it’s more concerning than if it were another type.
An outbreak of the similar H5N2 strain of avian flu in 2015 caused more than one-billion dollars damage to Iowa poultry producers as millions of chickens and turkeys had to be destroyed.
