Bird Flu Outbreak Found at a Tennessee Farm -
By STEPHANIE STROMMARCH 6, 2017
A farm in southern Tennessee that produces chickens for Tyson Foods was ordered to cull its flock after federal officials
on Sunday identified an outbreak of lethal avian influenza there, the first time the disease has struck this year.
“Based on the limited scope known to us at this time, we don’t expect disruptions to our chicken business.”
Tyson also said this was “a bird health issue and not a food safety or human health concern,” adding
that “there’s no evidence to suggest that any form of avian influenza can be transmitted to humans from properly cooked poultry.”
Other major chicken producers told Bloomberg News that they were increasing biosecurity measures across their operations.
An avian flu epidemic led to the culling of some 48 million chickens
and turkeys from late 2014 through mid-2015, dealing a crippling blow to American egg producers, as well as to some turkey producers and backyard poultry growers.
The broiler chicken business escaped that outbreak,
and in general is less susceptible to avian flu because its birds, which are used for meat, are slaughtered at 45 to 60 days old, so the birds rotate out of barns far more quickly.
A version of this article appears in print on March 7, 2017, on Page B3 of the New York
edition with the headline: Bird Flu Prompts Culling at a Farm for Tyson Foods.
