The World Health Organization announced that a man in Mexico has died from H5N2, a new strain of bird flu that hasn’t yet been detected humans until now.
The WHO said it was first notified of a human H5N2 infection on May 23 related to a 59-year-old Mexico resident.
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The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was recently detected in a commercial broiler chicken flock at a farm in Weakley County, the Tennessee State Veterinarian announced.
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The Ohio State Senate this week passed a bill deeming natural gas a form of “green energy” and eased the leasing of state lands by fossil-fuel companies.
Sponsored by state Representative J. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield), the measure’s main feature is an unrelated agricultural policy reducing the minimum number of poultry chicks that can be sold or transferred in Ohio from six to three. Lawmakers embraced that change based on the advice of the poultry industry and that of adults supervising children in 4-H agriculture programs who want to make smaller purchases for their farm projects.
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The Biden Administration announced Monday it will spend $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity.
The administration will invest $375 million on independent processing plant projects that fill a need for diversified processing capacity, spend up to $275 million in working with lenders to increase availability of loans, particularly to underserved communities, for independent processors, and spend $100 million to back private lenders investing in independently owned food processing and distribution infrastructure to move product through supply chain.
It will spend and additional $100 million to support training, safe workplaces and jobs in meat and poultry processing facilities, $100 million in reducing overtime and holiday inspection costs for small and very small processing plants, and $50 million to provide independent business owners and producers with technical assistance and research and development.
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Tennessee state department of agriculture officials have identified a third outbreak of avian flu. A flock of chickens at a commercial poultry breeding operation has tested positive for “low pathogenic avian influenza” (LPAI). It is not the same as the China H7N9 virus affecting Asia and is genetically distinct. The facility in question is a chicken breeding operation in Giles County, near the Alabama state line. The company that operates it is a different company from the one associated with the recent detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in neighboring Lincoln County. At this time, officials do not believe one premises sickened the other. On March 6, routine screening tests at the Giles County premises indicated the presence of avian influenza in the flock. State and federal laboratories confirmed the existence of H7N9 LPAI in tested samples. “This is why we test and monitor for avian influenza,” State Veterinarian Dr. Charles Hatcher said in a statement. “When routine testing showed a problem at this facility, the operators immediately took action and notified our lab. That fast response is critical to stopping the spread of this virus.” As a precaution, the affected flock was immediately exterminated and buried; and the…
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