SunGazette The Central Valley is the epicenter for the bird flu epidemic drastically reducing the state’s poultry supply and slightly dropping its milk supply.
New cases of bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), are being discovered and posted daily by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for both the dairy and poultry industry in California. The virus is spread by infected wild birds, which can carry the virus without themselves getting sick.
The two farm animal businesses are some of the state’s most important ag industries, clustered in the Central Valley, often just down the road from each other. The names of the affected facilities are not made public. But when more than half of the state’s dairies are quarantined due to the virus and some 8 million chickens in the state had to be destroyed – including over 5 million egg layers representing about half of the egg laying flock in the Golden State – Californians will no doubt feel the shortages at the grocery store.
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said the situation is “really scary” as the poultry industry is reeling from the financial impact of so many ranches being devastated.