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CDFA Secretary Ross: avian influenza remains a national challenge; California focused on response and vaccination research
Summary
Secretary Karen Ross updated the board on the department’s response to avian influenza, animal reunification after wildfires, and federal programs for biosecurity, vaccines and restocking assistance.
Secretary Karen Ross told the board that avian influenza continues to cause major losses in poultry nationwide and that California’s animal health teams remain focused on containment, restocking and research into vaccines and therapeutics.
Ross reported that roughly 30 affected properties in California had been cleared to restock and that recent Midwest losses totaled tens of millions of birds. "Just in the last 6 weeks, 25,000,000 birds have been lost and most of those are layers," Ross said, emphasizing that supply and demand have been sharply affected. She described federal steps announced by U.S. Department of Agriculture leadership that aim to expand biosecurity assessments, reimbursements for upgrades and an infusion of federal funds for vaccine and therapeutic research.
The secretary said federal grant pilots include wildlife assessments to identify intrusions into poultry houses and that federal officials announced an additional $100 million for vaccines and therapeutics. Ross noted that vaccines may be helpful to limit viral load in dairy and certain livestock contexts but explained there are trade and technical obstacles related to vaccinating poultry, especially broilers, where short production cycles complicate vaccine strategies.
Ross also described how CDFA’s animal care and emergency response teams prioritized animal reunification during recent California wildfires and noted growing demand for animal care in disasters as evacuations increase. She will participate in a joint Senate Agriculture and Health Committee hearing on avian influenza and public health.
Board members asked technical questions about vaccines and microbial shedding; Ross and department staff said trials are ongoing and that the department is monitoring human cases, which remain relatively rare and mild but are tracked by public health partners.
The secretary also flagged that avian flu response programs were protected from some of the proposed budget reductions discussed later in the meeting.
