Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack in response to the recent outbreak of avian flu. In the letter, the senators urge the USDA, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other necessary agencies to continue to provide the public and state agencies with coordinated, up-to-date, and accurate information on the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as H5N1, particularly around the safety of the U.S. commercial milk or meat supply, and the risk to farmworker health.“The spread of the strain to livestock, including goats and cattle, and a farmworker in Texas, underscores the urgency required to confront this outbreak through a collaborative federal response, heightened surveillance, and additional resources to support vaccine research,” wrote the lawmakers.
“As the wild bird migration continues this spring, we stand ready to work with you and department staff to contain and stop this outbreak and minimize harm to rural America,” continued the lawmakers.
The letter was signed by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Boozman (R-AR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Thune (R-SD), John Fetterman (D-PA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
Klobuchar has long worked to provide Minnesota farmers with the resources to weather livestock diseases and economic disruptions.
Earlier this year, Klobuchar and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced legislation to offer producers fairer market prices for livestock disaster assistance programs. The Livestock Indemnity Program Improvement Act would require the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to make quarterly updates to Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payment rates that reflect livestock market prices.
In May 2022, Klobuchar and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led their colleagues in a bipartisan push for more federal funding to help address the last outbreak of HPAI. In April 2022, she urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help Minnesota farmers respond to the 2022 avian flu outbreak.
During the 2015 outbreak, Klobuchar led bipartisan efforts to ensure USDA had the resources necessary to fight the outbreak and compensate farmers for lost birds. In 2018, she successfully pushed to include a provision within the Farm Bill that created an animal disease and disaster response grant program to help fund projects to address risks to animal health, livestock export markets, and industry economic stability.
The full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
As you are aware, every state in the nation has been hit with a recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) due to its spread from migratory waterfowl to domestic bird populations and commercial poultry. The spread of the strain to livestock, including goats and cattle, and a farmworker in Texas, underscores the urgency required to confront this outbreak through a collaborative federal response, heightened surveillance, and additional resources to support vaccine research.
The evolving risk this outbreak poses demands a broad, coordinated approach from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, state and local partners, and researchers. Previous outbreaks have benefited from a consortium strategy wherein the USDA brought together the brightest minds in epidemiology and animal health research to lessen the potential economic and societal cost of the spread. We ask that the USDA take a similar approach — including additional research on wild bird deterrents, vaccines, and advanced biosecurity practices — when combating the current outbreak. A successful response to this outbreak demands a commitment to keeping farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians informed of the latest developments while efficiently coordinating mitigation efforts. This includes increasing genomic pathogen surveillance and rapid dissemination of genomic sequence data.
It is critical that the USDA, FDA, CDC, and other agencies as necessary continue to provide the public with coordinated, up-to-date, and accurate information on the spread of HPAI, particularly around the safety of the U.S. commercial milk or meat supply and the risk to human health. As the wild bird migration continues this spring, we stand ready to work with you and department staff to contain and stop this outbreak and minimize harm to rural America.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Source: Senator Amy Klobuchar
