Dive Brief:
- After the USDA confirmed an avian flu strain in Arkansas, the home state of Tyson Foods Inc., the company's stock decreased by 5.1% after dropping 6.1%, its biggest drop in nine months, according to Bloomberg.
- Tyson spokesman Worth Sparkman said in an e-mailed statement in a Bloomberg article: “No flocks grown for Tyson Foods have been diagnosed with avian influenza. There are always biosecurity measures in place on poultry farms and we’ve been even more diligent since AI has been in the U.S. this winter.”
- In dealing with a separate potential health issue, Tyson also removed the antibiotic gentamicin, which has been deemed "highly important" in human medicine by the FDA, from the company's hatcheries, says Reuters.
Dive Insight:
Avian flu scares have spread more rapidly as of late, including two in Missouri. That report follows several others in states like Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It's no surprise that major poultry companies would be affected, including Tyson, the country's largest producer, and Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the second-largest producer in the U.S.