Agricultural News
House Ag Subcommittee Looks at Avian Influenza Response and Strategy for Fall
Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:11:54 CDT
Congressman David Rouzer of North Carolina, Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, held a public hearing on Thursday to examine the federal and state response to avian influenza.
Identified as one of the worst animal disease outbreaks the U.S. has ever experienced, the disease infected more than 220 farms in 21 states. As a result, nearly 48 million chickens and turkeys have been depopulated and millions of dollars have been spent to aid in response efforts. Members heard from representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and state officials who have taken part in the response effort and discussed the successes and challenges of the process.
"The impact of the avian influenza outbreak has been devastating, and it is essential that we learn from the outbreak this past spring and put in place the proper steps to minimize the impact of a possible outbreak in the Southeast when the temperatures decrease this fall. Today, we heard what was done right during the response and where there are still opportunities for improvement. As we continue our oversight, we will certainly consider any suggestions to modify our policies in order to expedite and improve the efficacy of our animal disease response capabilities. I want to thank our witnesses for testifying today and for providing their insight on this very important issue," said Subcommittee Chairman Rouzer.
"The outbreak of this highly pathogenic disease is one of the worst we have ever seen in the U.S. It is absolutely vital that USDA and vulnerable states are prepared to respond quickly if this outbreak returns in the fall, as is expected. Both USDA and the states have put forth great effort to isolate this disease and mitigate loss these past few months, and I thank them for their hard work," said Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway.
The Chief Veterinary officer of USDA, Dr. John Clifford, was among those testifying to the subcommittee. Dr. Clifford told the lawmakers that USDA considers this the " largest animal health emergency in
this country's history" and that HPAI has the full attention of the Department. And Dr. Clifford says that USDA has thrown a lot of the APHIS budget at HPAI- All told, USDA has committed over $700 million an amount more than half of APHIS' yearly discretionary budget in addressing this outbreak." The complete testimony offered by Dr. Clifford is available here.
The archived webcast of the entire hearing can be seen by clicking here.
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