Hatchery in Monterey County, California, hit hard by bird flu get infected Those animals.
Metzer Farms Owner John Metzer told KSBW that tens of thousands of ducks and geese had to be culled in November due to illness, and thousands of eggs were also destroyed, the paper reported Saturday. .
“And it spreads like wildfire, so if it gets into a farm, you can't just kill all the birds that are in the same building and get infected there. It spreads so easily that you have to remove everything that's on the farm. I have to,” he explained.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to an outbreak of avian influenza, Breitbart News reported.
The governor's office prefaced the statement by saying: said:
Governor Gavin Newsom today declared a state of emergency to streamline and expedite the state's response to avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as “avian influenza.” This action comes after an infected case was detected in a dairy cow on a Southern California farm, further expanding surveillance and requiring a coordinated statewide approach to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus. It shows the need to build. The virus has spread among dairy cows in 16 states since it was first identified in Texas and Kansas in March 2024.
In April, the nation's largest raw egg producer suspended production at its Texas factory after avian influenza was found in chickens, Breitbart News reported.
Cal Maine Foods, based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, said in a statement that an estimated 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 hens at its Palmer County, Texas, facility were infected with avian influenza and were culled. announced,” he said. Outlet listed.
Metzer, who believes migratory ducks may be the cause of the problem, said the problem has made his farm extremely difficult after having to culle more than 13,000 birds. He explained.
“By losing potential income, many of these birds were destined to start laying eggs in the spring, when we need lots of eggs, but now they are not going to do so, so I We must buy eggs or we will run out of products for our customers,” he said, adding that he and his team are doing everything in their power to stop the disease.
Farm website offer “Biosecurity guidelines” to prevent the spread of avian influenza.
Monterey County Agriculture Commissioner Juan Hidalgo told KSBW. “Typically, bird flu is prevalent here in California during the winter months,” he explained. “Cooler weather, fall bird migration, all of those things are having an impact. So we still have a ways to go here in the state to hopefully get this virus under control and under control.”
