Statewide Iowa — The confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in Buena Vista County has increased the anxiety among poultry producers.
Morgan Minnehan is a spokesperson for the Iowa Turkey Federation.
They remember the devastating bird flu outbreak in 2015 that led to the death of thousands of birds at a cost of one BILLION dollars. Minnehan says prevention measures have stepped up since that outbreak.
Migrating waterfowl bring the bird flu into the state and she says producers keep an eye on a migration tracking program.
Minnehan says everyone can help prevent the spread of the bird flu by being aware of what to do.
She says Iowa ranks seventh in turkey production and fifth in processing nationwide — as a majority of the turkeys are used for lunch meat and other turkey products. She reminds everyone that the bird flu doesn’t impact humans.
Minnehan says turkey producers are limiting access to farms, washing truck tires, and doing intense cleaning and sanitization of equipment and work boots to try and prevent the spread of the disease.
