Paris | Reuters — An epidemic of bird flu that has devastated U.S. poultry flocks this year is likely to be under control within a few months as the U.S. steps up measures to contain the virus and the summer weather weakens it, senior officials said on Tuesday. There is, however, a high risk that […] Read more
U.S. bird flu virus seen under control within a few months
U.S. bird flu causes egg shortage, emergency measures
Chicago/New York | Reuters — As a virulent avian influenza outbreak continues to spread across the Midwestern U.S., some egg-dependent companies are contemplating drastic steps — importing eggs from overseas or looking to egg alternatives. A spokeswoman for Archer Daniels Midland said that as egg supplies tighten and prices rise, the food processing and commodities […] Read more
SW Ont. poultry sectors nearer business-as-usual, almost
Quarantines on several poultry operations in southwestern Ontario could be removed by the end of next month, assuming no new cases of avian flu turn up in the region — just in time for another notifiable poultry disease to appear. The Feather Board Command Centre — the emergency response unit for the province’s chicken, turkey […] Read more
Sysco sees U.S. bird flu hurting egg supply up to 18 months
New York | Reuters — Food distributor Sysco Corp. said on Friday that a record U.S. outbreak of avian flu would limit its chicken and egg supply for nine to 18 months, based on information provided to the company by its suppliers. Sysco is the biggest U.S. food distributor, whose clients include restaurants, hotels and […] Read more
Minnesota bans bird exhibitions over avian flu
Minneapolis | Reuters –– Minnesota officials on Friday banned all bird exhibitions in the state this year, including at the Minnesota State Fair, in response to an outbreak of avian influenza that has affected farms around the Midwest. Exhibitions at fairs, swap meets, exotic sales and petting zoos must not include birds for the rest […] Read more
Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska
Reuters — The fast-spreading avian flu virus was confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, at a commercial egg-laying farm that housed a flock of 1.7 million chickens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The case in Dixon County, Nebraska, brings the number of states affected by the outbreak to 16, and the […] Read more
H5N8 avian flu found in Indiana
Reuters — A strain of avian flu that until now had been found only in the western U.S. has cropped up in Indiana, bringing the total number of states affected by the virulent outbreak to 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. The eastward spread of any strain of the highly contagious H5 virus […] Read more
H5N8-positive wild duck found in B.C.
Ongoing surveillance of Canada’s wild birds has turned up the country’s first-ever case of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu, in a duck carcass at a British Columbia bird sanctuary. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Friday reported the case to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), noting such a detection in wild birds “should […] Read more
Iowa declares state of emergency over avian flu
Reuters — Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared a state of emergency on Friday due to a rapidly expanding avian flu outbreak. State agriculture officials on Friday announced four more poultry farms — a million-bird commercial egg laying operation and three turkey farms — have initially tested positive for an H5 strain of the virus. “While […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat rebound on technicals, dollar declines
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grains jumped as much as one per cent on Wednesday, with corn rebounding from a six-month low and wheat from a nearly five-year low on support from short covering and a weaker U.S. dollar. Soybeans also gained at the Chicago Board of Trade, buoyed by a strike of boat captains […] Read more
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