SEYMOUR, Ind. — One of the largest egg producers in the United States has confirmed cases of bird flu at one of their Indiana facilities, according to a statement released on Monday.
Rose Acre Farms (RAF) has locations in seven states, but is headquartered in Seymour, Indiana.
The full statement from the company said:
Over the weekend, our Cort Acre Egg Farm in Seymour, IN tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also commonly known as AI or bird flu. We are working with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and the state veterinarian on best practices to combat the risk of spreading AI to other birds. We are continuing to monitor all of our facilities.
It is important to note that while the risk to other birds (including migratory waterfowl, backyard poultry, and commercial poultry) from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections is high, the risk to people remains low. The Indiana State Board of Animal Health is monitoring the current situation. The USDA is monitoring animal infections and the CDC is monitoring human infections.
On the company’s website under biosecurity, they list protocols for the wave of HPAI that is sweeping across the country.
“The RAF Biosecurity Committee recommends that vehicular travel through counties reported to have HPAI in commercial layer complexes be avoided,” the farm’s website reads. “If travel cannot be avoided through the affected counties, a vehicle wash must be taken immediately prior to arrival at a Rose Acre Farm (RAF) location. The wash ticket shall be presented to the guard shack personnel upon arrival.”
About 8.3 million birds have died in January due to of the outbreaks of bird flu, according to the USDA.
Rose Acre Farm’s website says handling the surge in bird flu is a “top biosecurity concern.”
HAPI has led not only to the price of eggs rising, but also an egg shortage.
The national average for a dozen large grade-A eggs is $4.15. In Kentucky, that average is $4.51 and $4.33 in Indiana.
Experts expect these higher prices to stick around.
Bird flu spreads quickly between birds in a chicken flock, even before the birds start showing symptoms, North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine said.
There is no treatment for bird flu. The only way to stop the disease is to depopulate all affected and exposed poultry, according to the USDA.
When a company experiences an outbreak, they are not only losing eggs but they are losing an entire flock.
According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, 23 farms throughout the state have been affected by bird flu this year.
Around 380,066 birds from commercial egg layers in Indiana have been affected as well.