Dive Brief:
- The avian flu strain H5N2 has been reported on the 14th turkey farm in Minnesota, the latest of which followed a hash of four of the state's farms all confirmed late last week. The 14th outbreak occurred in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota's leading turkey-producing county, bringing the death toll for turkeys in the state to over 900,000.
- North Dakota has now reported the state's first outbreak of avian flu. The farm is located in Dickey County in the southeast area of the state along the border with South Dakota.
- South Dakota, having just reported its first case of avian flu earlier this month, has now confirmed the fourth outbreak in the state.
Dive Insight:
Concerns are rising in the turkey production industry, particularly for Minnesota farmers, who contribute to the state's $600 million turkey industry, which produces about 46 million turkeys per year. Hormel Foods, the country’s second-largest turkey processor, took the worst single loss when one of its Minnesota farms, a state it greatly depends on for its turkey supply, reported an outbreak of H5N2. Though the outbreak only hit one barn, the entire flock of more than 300,000 birds in 12 barns was destroyed. On a more positive note, though the death toll for turkeys in Minnesota is so high, the state has only lost about 2% of its annual production.