Witnesses urge faster vaccine approvals, wider indemnity and stronger surveillance to combat avian influenza and AMPV

John Zimmerman, a second-generation Minnesota turkey farmer and former chairman of the National Turkey Federation, told the House Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry that the turkey industry is suffering a “one-two punch” from highly pathogenic avian influenza and avian metapneumovirus.

Zimmerman said AMPV has infected “between 60 and 80 percent of turkey flocks nationwide,” and that in Minnesota “127 cases of HPAI in commercial turkeys have led to the loss of more than 6,600,000 birds.” He urged the subcommittee “to make AMPV an eligible disease under USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program.”

Why it matters: Witnesses described widespread flock losses, credit-market stress for affected farms and continuing market volatility for eggs and turkey. They said relief and technical responses now will determine whether many producers can remain viable while a longer-term disease strategy is implemented.

Mike West, who identified himself as chairman of United Egg Producers and president of JS West Milling Co., described repeated local depopulations on his family’s operations and broader national losses: “This country has depopulated 167,000,000 chickens since this outbreak started in 2022.” He and other witnesses welcomed the USDA plan announced last week and said vaccination must be part of a coordinated strategy covering multiple poultry sectors.

Officials and industry speakers urged three near-term priorities. First, witnesses asked Congress and USDA to shorten timelines for vaccine reviews and imports. Zimmerman criticized the length of USDA’s review of an imported AMPV modified-live vaccine, saying the process took “more than a year” despite widespread global use and that approval “should take a matter of months, not more than a year.”

Second, witnesses asked that AMPV be made eligible for indemnity payments. Zimmerman said AMPV causes “severe, prolonged mortality” and that, unlike HPAI, AMPV has not been eligible for indemnity, leaving many producers without recourse.

Third, witnesses called for expanded surveillance, staffing and laboratory capacity. West and others said U.S. lab capacity and federal staffing shortages have hampered timely testing and response. “Our lab system in this country is understaffed,” West said, urging fully funded APHIS and ARS teams to speed diagnostics and outbreak control.

Several witnesses also urged USDA to negotiate with trading partners in advance of any widescale vaccine deployment so vaccination does not unduly harm export markets. Zimmerman said the United States must “renegotiate with key trading partners to minimize the implications of vaccine deployment” and argued USDA should take a proactive role in those discussions.

Committee context: Members noted the Farm Food and National Security Act of 2024 (passed by the committee last year) contained disease-response provisions and pressed witnesses on how those and other programs could be used in the current outbreak. Several members said they support renewed, multi-year funding for animal disease programs and laboratory networks.

Looking ahead: Witnesses said immediate steps — faster vaccine approvals, AMPV indemnity, and restored lab staffing — could stabilize markets and reduce farm failures while longer-term work proceeds on vaccine strategy, trade negotiations and biosecurity investments.