Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 7/21/15


Avian influenza has cost Minnesota’s poultry industry $650 million, according to a new estimate by the University of Minnesota Extension. The latest figure doubles its estimate of just two months ago.

The new figure includes both on-farm losses and those at processing plants, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

The news comes just weeks after the Minnesota Legislature allocated more than $8.5 million to fund expansion and improved testing at the University of Minnesota’s poultry lab.

Poultry production and processing is a $3 billion industry in the state; overall, poultry growers represent about 7 percent of the agricultural and forestry economy. The study focuses on the state’s 80 non-metro counties, where nearly all poultry production occurs.

Minnesota has been one of the hardest hit states by the outbreak. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) reported that the state has lost nearly 9 million chickens and turkeys so far.

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