WASHINGTON – Following the confirmation of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the co-chairs of the Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses wrote a letter looking for assurances to protect US chicken exports following recent conversations about whether commercial poultry flocks should be vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

The members, which include, Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and Representatives Steve Womack (R-AR) and Jim Costa (D-CA) noted that more attention has been paid to the poultry industry due to the increased egg prices around the country.  

The group pointed out that vaccination in any poultry sector would jeopardize the entire export market for US poultry products.

“The problem is that most US trading partners do not recognize countries that vaccinate as free of HPAI due to concerns that vaccines can mask the presence of the virus,” the members said in a letter to Rollins. “Therefore, US trading partners do not accept exports from countries that vaccinate, either for specific product categories, regions that vaccinate, or for all poultry from the country. In other words, if an egg-laying hen in Michigan is vaccinated for HPAI, the US right now would likely be unable to export an unvaccinated broiler chicken from Mississippi.”

Since the start of the HPAI outbreak in 2022, more than 150 million birds have been affected, more than 77% were commercial egg-laying hens, 12% commercial turkey and 8% commercial broilers, according to the USDA data. Other reports have also come on ducks, backyard poultry and game birds throughout the last few years.

The letter also reiterated that broilers are an entirely separate industry from the egg-laying sector, which has a distinct supply chain, geographic footprints, housing structure, bird lifespans, biosecurity practices, and trade portfolios.

The National Chicken Council (NCC) noted that the US broiler industry is the second largest exporter of chicken in the world and exports about 15% of the US chicken meat production which is valued at more than $5 billion annually.

“This is what is at stake in the HPAI vaccine discussion: a potential $10+ billion annual loss to the US economy and American broiler farmers feeling a huge brunt when they have been the least affected by HPAI,” the caucus members continued. “While some trading partners may levy temporary restrictions, others could be indefinite. A widescale HPAI vaccination program in the US, without first strengthening our animal health trade agreements, could cause our trading partners to take action that would significantly harm our domestic poultry sector.”

After the letter, Harrison Kircher, president of the NCC, thanked the senators and representatives for their letter on exports.

“We strongly agree that as the administration contemplates an HPAI strategy, any such action be predicated with robust trade protections for America’s broiler producers,” Kircher said. “The potential export losses that are likely to occur as a result of vaccination would have a devastating impact on thousands of family farmers who raise the birds. The industry least affected by bird flu stands the most to lose here. We support the Trump Administration and their goals to bring down food inflation, cut regulatory red tape, and increase our global competitiveness. We stand ready to work with the Administration and Secretary Rollins.”

The National Turkey Federation, along with some other agriculture trade associations, sent its own letter to Rollins about HPAI vaccines. 

"NTF supports the development of a vaccine strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that includes the identification of an effective HPAI vaccine but recognizes the significant trade and logistical challenges that must be addressed before implementation," NTF said. "Renegotiation of international trade standards, developing reliable surveillance methods, and overcoming logistical hurdles for vaccination should be a top priority. NTF is actively working with USDA, industry stakeholders, and trade partners to explore solutions that allow for disease prevention while safeguarding US poultry exports."

Earlier in the week Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), asked Rollins to provide a detailed plan about the HPAI outbreak and whether the USDA would use tools like HPAI vaccines.

The USDA explained on Jan. 8 its stance on maintaining the option of vaccines in poultry for avian influenza but said that the current HPAI vaccines do not meet the criteria for an ideal candidate.

“While deploying a vaccine for poultry would be difficult in practice and may have trade implications, in addition to uncertainty about its effectiveness, USDA has continued to support research and development in avian vaccines,” the agency said.