USDA to rehire recently fired staff working on bird flu outbreak
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to rehire front-line employees from the Inspection Service who were recently dismissed amid the ongoing avian flu outbreak. These employees are vital in addressing the crisis that has led to significant losses in poultry, thus contributing to a 15.2% rise in egg prices as millions of chickens have been affected by the virus. The USDA’s spokesperson emphasized the importance of these positions for public safety and the agency’s mission to maintain food security. Reports indicate a peak in bird flu cases in January 2023, with a reported decline in February. While the immediate public health risk is considered low, there has been a recorded human death related to the virus, and it has spread to a number of cattle herds as well. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has prioritized discussing strategies to combat the outbreak. The situation continues to evolve as the USDA works to stabilize egg production and safeguard food supplies.
USDA to rehire recently fired staff working on bird flu outbreak
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will rehire the Inspection Service front-line employees it fired over the weekend so they can continue their work on the avian flu outbreak.
These employees were fired over the weekend as the bird flu crisis has threatened more farmers and led the price of eggs to increase. As millions of chickens have died of the virus, egg production suffered, increasing the price by 15.2% in January alone.
“Although several positions supporting [bird flu strategy] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” a USDA spokesperson said. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service front-line positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”
Reported cases of bird flu began steadily increasing in November, peaking in January with 85 commercial flocks infected. February has seen a decrease so far, with 46 infected commercial flocks and 27 infected backyard flocks. The latest report had over 9 million birds with cases of the flu.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was confirmed to her role last week and made it a point of order to discuss bird flu strategies during her first full day in office. Rollins visited Missouri on Tuesday, which was one of the hardest hit states, with over 2.8 million birds affected.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week, the consumer price index reported “the largest increase in the eggs index since June 2015.” This also “accounted for about two-thirds of the total monthly food at home increase,” which was 1.2% over the last 12 months.
The public health risk regarding bird flu is low, but there has been one reported human death. The virus has spread to over 41 cattle herds.
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