Minnesota’s poultry industry is on high alert.
This week marks the second anniversary of the beginning of a bird flu outbreak that ended with more than 9 million turkey and chicken deaths. Added to that, two American poultry operations are infected with bird flu. And to top it off, the 2017 weather is eerily similar to 2015.
“It is starting to feel like two years ago,” State Veterinarian Beth Thompson said Wednesday.
It is not that Thompson or anyone else is predicting a repeat of 2015, but there is widespread agreement that the elements are in place. The biggest difference in 2017 is that those who raise and those who process poultry, as well as regulators and livestock experts, are more prepared to quickly respond if avian influenza arrives.
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