Amid a national bird flu outbreak, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging action by the federal government against Avian flu.
Sen. Ossoff joined a bipartisan effort calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “to strengthen resources for and work with Georgia’s egg producers to combat the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), better known as bird flu.”
“The United States is now entering the fourth year of an outbreak of HPAI that has devastated farms, required the depopulation of more than 136 million birds on commercial poultry operations, and infected a small but growing number of farm workers,” Sen. Ossoff and the group wrote. “A new urgency is required from the USDA to address the evolving situation.”
Among the recommendations:
- An aggressive, forward-looking strategy for vaccination in affected laying hens and turkeys,
including the acquisition of vaccine stockpiles, field trials of vaccines, the development of more
practical methods of vaccine administration, and outreach to trading partners to ensure trade is
not significantly impacted and that they understand the need for vaccines and abide by
international standards for maintaining trade; - An HPAI Strategic Initiative to engage experts within industry, universities, and government to
expand knowledge and develop novel methods of prevention, detection, and response; - Movement controls that apply to all animals that present risks and support for states moving
quickly through the first four stages of USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy.
According to a 2022 report by USDA, Georgia is the country’s leading poultry producer, with 3 out of 4 Georgia counties involved in poultry. The industry employs more than 88,000 Georgians and contributes an overall annual average of over $28 billion to the state’s economy.
According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, positive bird flu cases have been confirmed for the first time in two of Elbert County’s commercial poultry facilities by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the USDA since the beginning of 2025.
This week, Sen. Ossoff urged the Trump Administration to swiftly distribute Federal disaster assistance for Georgia farmers that Congress secured after Hurricane Helene.
Now, he wants action on the bird flu. Read the bipartisan inquiry with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.
