Capitol Letters: Finding solutions to the bird flu outbreak

In 2014 and 2015, our producers were ravaged by a devastating outbreak of avian influenza. This outbreak, and corresponding depopulation efforts, killed roughly 43 million chickens and more than 7 million turkeys in flocks across 21 states while also impacting more than 960 dairy herds nationwide. Iowa—the number one egg-producing state in the country— alone accounted for about 30 million birds. The spread of this disease was rapid, and the effects were widespread. In a short period of time, the price of eggs shot up nearly 120%.

Now, nearly ten years later, foreign animal disease threatens our flocks and herds once again. In June, reports confirmed infections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in flocks within Northwest Iowa, which have since spread to dairy herds. Confirmed reports of bird flu in Northwest Iowa are a serious concern for me, our producers, and our economy. I immediately got in touch with Governor Reynolds, Secretary Naig, and the USDA to support our farmers and producers.

Out of the nearly 140 million birds that have been affected by HPAI across 48 states since this outbreak began in 2022, nearly 25% have been in Iowa – devastating producers, destroying flocks, and impacting entire communities. The financial impact of this crisis is also projected to easily surpass the $3.3 billion in damages from the previous outbreak from 2014 to 2015. Along with President Trump, I am working to support our egg producers, dairy producers, and chicken and turkey farmers to bring down the price of eggs and keep farm operations whole. 

That’s why I led a letter with 22 of my colleagues to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins asking that the USDA do everything possible to address this crisis, work proactively to prevent the spread of foreign animal disease, and help our farmers mitigate outbreaks when they occur. To achieve this, we must look towards developing an aggressive forward-looking vaccine strategy to protect our flocks and herds from disease, and work to make indemnity payment rates fairer for our producers. Additionally, I’ve called on the USDA to launch a Strategic Initiative that will engage industry and stakeholder experts to improve research and methods of detection and response, combatting the spread of bird flu in Iowa and nationwide.

The main objectives that my colleagues and I laid out include more advanced biosecurity measures and wild bird deterrents, an aggressive and forward-looking vaccination strategy for affected species, and more efficient depopulation methods and bird disposal processes. We similarly call for movement controls that apply to all animals that present disease risk. These initiatives will ultimately save taxpayer dollars by establishing a proactive approach to mitigate, prevent, and respond to HPAI outbreaks.

Representing the top egg-producing district, and the second largest agricultural district, in the United States, I am urgently working with my colleagues to protect our producers and farmers from infectious disease. The Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification (HPAI) Act—which I helped introduce with Rep. Mark Alford from Missouri—expands the USDA’s compensation to all poultry farmers in a HPAI control area. It also simplifies the calculation of indemnity programs so that payments are compensated for farmers based on the average income they earned from their last five flocks. I also voted for the Beagle Brigade Act, which was signed into law in January. This legislation instructs National Detector Dog Training Center to train dogs – including beagles – to inspect cargo, baggage, and vehicles at our borders and detect foreign diseases that pose a significant threat to agriculture. Keeping foreign animal diseases out of our country is critical to the security of Iowa agriculture, our food supply, and our rural economy.

As the backbone of Iowa’s economy and our rural communities, we need to advance policies that strengthen agriculture and support our hardworking farmers and producers. That includes passing the Farm Bill—which includes the Foreign Animal Disease Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act—to defend American agriculture from devastating animal disease outbreaks.

The safety of our flocks and the integrity of our agricultural economy depend on swift legislative action. Serving on the House Agriculture Committee and House Ways and Means Committee, I look forward to working with the Trump administration and Secretary Rollins to promote biosecurity on our farms, lower the price of eggs, and support our farmers and producers throughout this process.