Policy Alert: USDA Bird Flu Plan

Action: USDA Releases Plan to Tackle Avian Flu

What it does: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday a $1 billion comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) and promote lower egg prices, in addition to funding already available to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks. The Administration’s five-pronged approach includes $500 million for biosecurity efforts; $400 million for financial relief for affected farmers; and $100 million for vaccine research, efforts to remove regulatory burdens, and exploring options for imports to supplement the domestic supply of eggs.

Key Insights

• A dozen large grade A eggs cost a record-high average of $4.95 in January 2025, up from $2.52 in January 2024. A total of 166,065,938 poultry have been affected since the beginning of the current HPAI outbreak.
• Transmission of bird flu to dairy cows continues to be widespread since the first reported case in March 2024, with 976 dairy herds having been affected in 17 states as of February 26.
• The Administration’s plan represents a new focus in the national response to bird flu on biosecurity and vaccination. USDA on February 14 issued a conditional license for an avian flu vaccine from manufacturer Zoetis for use in chickens.
• However, USDA officials said Wednesday that there are “no anticipated changes” to the current federal policy requiring the culling of infected flocks. The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) recommends culling as a “critical strategy” for controlling HPAI. "No anticipated changes to our current stamping-out policy at this time. And we will continue to follow WOAH guidelines," said Rosemary Sifford, Chief Veterinary Officer for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. WOAH is separate from the World Health Organization from which the US withdrew early in the new Administration.
• USDA will also expand the successful Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments plan begun under the Biden Administration. Of the 150 sites inspected between January 2023 and January 2025, only one site was subsequently affected by avian flu.
• In addition, USDA will explore increased egg purchases from abroad, for instance from Turkey, for which egg imports could surge to 420,000,000 this year from the usual 70,000,000.
• Secretary Rollins acknowledged that it will take some time for consumers to see significant relief in egg prices as it takes farms several months to dispose of carcasses, sanitize facilities, and raise new birds: “It’s going to take a while to get through, I think in the next month or two, but hopefully by summer.” Still, USDA estimates that egg prices will rise about 41% this year.
• Trade groups in the egg, poultry, and dairy industries largely praised USDA’s plan. American Egg Board President Emily Metz said she is encouraged the administration wants to find the best response through a combination of biosecurity and exploring vaccine development.