A year after the bird flu led to record egg prices and widespread shortages, the disease known as highly pathogenic avian influenza is wreaking havoc in California, which escaped the earlier wave of outbreaks that devastated poultry farms in the Midwest.
SRN NEWS reports he highly contagious virus has ravaged Sonoma County, where officials have declared a state of emergency. During the past two months, nearly a dozen commercial farms have had to destroy more than 1 million birds to control the outbreak, dealing an economic blow to farmers, workers and their customers.
Merced County in Central California also has been hit hard, with outbreaks at several large commercial egg-producing farms in recent weeks.
Georgia had its own brush with bird flu late last year. Bird flu outbreak in Ga., poultry flock owners urged to keep a close eye on their birds 97.5 Glory FM | North Georgia’s Family Radio Station (wgtjradio.com)
More on the California outbreak here: Avian flu is devastating farms in California’s ‘Egg Basket’ as outbreaks roil poultry industry – SRN News
(SRN photo)