| | A hearing on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee under the chairmanship of Pat Roberts (R-KS) took place on The July 7th. The two-hour session was characterized by a reasoned and accurate recounting of facts and incorporated a candid assessment of the future by Dr. John Clifford, Chief Veterinary Officer of the USDA and Dr. David Swayne, Director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL)-ARS-USDA. |
Testimony was also provided by Jim Dean, Chairman of United Egg Producers, Brad Moline representing the National Turkey Federation, Ken Klippen of Egg Farmers of America and Dr. Thomas Elam an agricultural economist who reviewed the financial impact of the 2015 HPAI outbreak.
The Spring 2015 H5N2 outbreak in the upper Midwest was the most extensive and costly animal health emergency in the history of the U.S. It is now evident that the disease has been contained with no new cases reported for 20 days.
From the outset, clear and unequivocal messages from the USDA, state officials and the CDC were instrumental in reassuring the public that the infection was not transmissible to humans and the virus was not carried on eggs or turkey meat entering the food chain. In his testimony, Dr. Clifford emphasized that the outbreak did not impose any risk to either food safety or public health.