U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins announced a $1 billion strategy to combat bird flu and high egg prices, though when and how those funds will be made available has yet to be determined.
In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Rollins outlined a five-pronged strategy including $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million in financial relief for affected farmers, and $100 million for vaccine research and to explore temporary egg import options.
In a statement to WFIU, a USDA spokesperson said, “Funds will be available to producers to improve biosecurity after they’ve completed a wildlife biosecurity assessment or biosecurity audit. Additionally, USDA is working to quickly outline details of a process to apply for funding to support the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and other strategies to combat HPAI (bird flu) and directly assist farmers.”
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They added that biweekly updates on the programs will be shared publicly.
In an interview with Farm Journal, Rollins said the $500 million for improving biosecurity efforts will happen “immediately.”
She was also asked how the billion dollars would be sourced in a time when President Trump is looking to save money. Rollins said repurposed funds from other USDA programs and savings from cuts throughout government would fund the effort.
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