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Committee presses USDA on avian flu response, screw‑worm threat as Rollins pledges vaccine and sterile‑fly action
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Summary
Secretary Rollins told the House Agriculture Committee the USDA is taking a multipronged approach to high‑path avian influenza and the emerging New World screw‑worm threat, including indemnity, biosecurity assessments, vaccine development funding and expanded sterile‑fly efforts.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins told the House Agriculture Committee that the department is pursuing a ‘‘multi‑pronged’’ animal health strategy to address high‑path avian influenza (HPAI) and the New World screw‑worm, and that the agency had already carried out hundreds of farm biosecurity assessments and moved indemnity and repopulation funding for affected egg producers.
Rollins said USDA has performed roughly 830 biosecurity assessments on farms, advanced indemnity payments to repopulate barns, and has committed $100 million to vaccine development and related animal health countermeasures. She told the committee that those funds are part of a broader $1 billion plan for farm biosecurity and producer assistance she summarized in testimony.
On the New World screw‑worm, Rollins said USDA had taken immediate steps to restrict ports of entry and to expand sterile‑fly production, and that ‘‘a major announcement’’ about a more aggressive response would be made the following week. She described cooperative work with Mexico and other partners and said the agency had closed ports of entry temporarily to slow a northward advance of the pest.
Why it matters: HPAI outbreaks have already led to culling and depopulation in poultry sectors and created retail price effects; the New World screw‑worm historically has inflicted long‑term damage to livestock sectors if not contained. Committee members pressed for vaccine strategies, timelines for sterile‑fly production, and assurances that research and frontline lab staffing would be sustained.
Most important facts: Rollins said USDA has completed approximately 850 farm biosecurity assessments, issued indemnity payments and repopulation funds for egg producers, and committed $100 million to vaccine development applications currently under review. She said that shipments of sterile flies and other countermeasures were being expanded and that a further operational step would be announced imminently.
Supporting details: Members asked whether USDA would prioritize vaccines and ‘‘all of the above’’ approaches; Rollins affirmed that vaccines, therapeutics and other tools were being considered and that the department had received hundreds of applications for funding. Multiple members from states affected by poultry losses underlined the urgency of a vaccine and faster indemnity processing.
Background: Lawmakers referenced prior animal health responses and the need to protect both animal and human health; Rollins framed the issue as a national security concern that required interagency coordination and international cooperation, including targeted discussions with Mexican counterparts on the screw‑worm outbreak.
Ending: Rollins pledged to provide updates and to work with committee members on both short‑term containment and longer‑term vaccine and surveillance plans.
