Grassley, Iowa Delegation Urge USDA to Fill HPAI Research and Response Gaps

Grassley, Iowa Delegation Urge USDA to Fill HPAI Research and Response Gaps

BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA - U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee members Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), along with the entire Iowa delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fill research and response gaps related to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), while continuing to work with state leaders to improve resources for impacted producers

"I was in 12 counties this week holding question-and-answer sessions with Iowans, and the subject of the bird flu outbreak came up a number of times," Grassley said. "Most of the concerns I'm hearing from Iowans are around the unknown effects bird flu has on dairy herds, because farmers have seen its impacts on flocks before. My colleagues and I are closely monitoring this issue to make sure USDA is doing everything it can to streamline its information-sharing and equip Iowa producers with the tools they need."

• Streamline a process for producer compensation at fair market value;
• Revise poultry indemnity tables to reflect fair market value of infected birds;
• Accelerate research on producer mitigation strategies.

Read the delegation's letter HERE. Download audio of Grassley discussing the letter HERE.

Background:

Grassley last month joined bipartisan senators in urging the USDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enhance interagency coordination in the federal response to the HPAI outbreak. Grassley pushed for funding to address the 2022 HPAI outbreak and worked to secure assistance for producers during the 2015 HPAI outbreak.

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