(DailyEmailNews.com) – Just as America faces an alarming egg shortage, Minnesota has declared a state of emergency due to skyrocketing avian flu cases that jeopardize the poultry industry.
The declaration follows three animal diseases and is a stark reminder of the ongoing threats to America’s food security and agricultural independence.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority Board has taken action by declaring an emergency for avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus.
This decision comes as the state’s poultry industry faces a severe crisis, with 871 aMPV-positive tests reported since April 2024.
While the state government claims to be helping farmers with zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans, the move has been described as a band-aid solution that fails to address the issue’s root causes.
The loans, available from February 12, 2025, to February 12, 2026, are a mere stopgap measure that does not solve the agricultural sector’s long-term challenges.
The impact of these diseases on Minnesota’s poultry industry is devastating.
HPAI alone has led to 185 cases in the state since March 2022, affecting a staggering 9.1 million domestic birds.
This not only threatens the livelihoods of hardworking American farmers but also puts the nation’s food supply at risk.
“The RFA Board’s declaration is an important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases,” Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen stated.
He added, “I encourage those who have faced livestock losses to explore these zero-interest loans.”
While Commissioner Petersen praises these loans as an “important step,” they have raised the alarm for doing little to address the underlying issues plaguing the agricultural sector.
The current crisis follows the culling of over 100 million chickens nationwide, creating a severe chicken and egg shortage.
As a result, hardworking Americans are forced to bear the brunt of skyrocketing egg prices, which have surged by almost 65% since early 2024.
The threat extends beyond our food supply. These diseases pose serious health concerns for humans, with nearly 70 human infections of H5N1 reported in the past year, mostly in California.
As of now, Minnesota stands as the first state to declare an emergency over these three viruses.
However, many Americans are calling for decisive action to protect farmers, the food supply, and national security.
Minnesota has declared a state of emergency over the rise of three diseases on commercial farms.
The state's Department of Agriculture issued the alert due to outbreaks of three viral infections among animals in the state.
Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a respiratory disease… pic.twitter.com/P9ELUK0hZt
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