Dive Brief:
- The USDA reported a third case of H5N2 avian flu in Minnesota recently.
- As a result of the repeated reports, poultry farmers in Minnesota are beginning to take action and increase security for their facilities.
- Some measures include "scrubbing down truck tires with disinfectant on their way on and off farms, and some operators are using dedicated employees and equipment for each individual barn on their property to cut the chances of spreading the flu from building to building," said Steve Olson, executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and the Chicken and Egg Association of Minnesota, as reported by The Wichita Eagle.
Dive Insight:
This is the latest in a string of avian flu reports released since the beginning of March, which also included Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. Besides causing concerns for farmers trying to maintain their poultry stock, other countries have growing concerns as well, particularly China, which halted poultry and egg imports from the U.S. back in January due to an avian flu scare. Even poultry companies like Tyson Foods Inc. have taken a hit, when its stock tumbled after a report of the H5N2 avian flu strain in the company's home state of Arkansas.