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Ohio poultry industry urges more lab funding, vaccines as HPAI devastates flocks
Summary
Ohio Poultry Association testimony to the House Agriculture Committee described more than 12 million birds lost in West Central Ohio and asked for expanded funding for the state animal-disease laboratory, federal indemnity support, and vaccine development as steps to help restock flocks and protect public and animal health.
Jim Chiqueres, executive vice president of the Ohio Poultry Association, told the Ohio House Agriculture Committee that highly pathogenic avian influenza has “wreaked havoc on Ohio’s commercial poultry flocks” and that Ohio has lost “over 12,000,000 egg laying hens, pullets, turkeys, and ducks,” concentrated in Darke and Mercer counties. Chiqueres said the U.S. outbreak has required depopulation of more than 150,000,000 birds nationwide and noted a recent human fatality from the disease.
Why it matters: Committee members were shown the scale of agricultural, community and consumer impacts — from lost farm income and downstream effects on trucking and feed mills, to higher grocery prices and mental-health strain on farm workers and owners. Chiqueres urged the committee to fund the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s disease diagnostic capacity, press for clearer federal communication…
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