WESTERN WASHINGTON — Farmers across western Washington are bracing for potential impacts after bird flu was detected at a commercial poultry facility in Pierce County.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced the detection on Thursday without naming the poultry facility.
No human cases have been identified at the facility. Public health agencies are monitoring workers who were exposed to infected birds as a precaution.
The risk to the general public is “very low,” health officials said.
Humans can contract bird flu through close contact with infected animals or their environments.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is mainly monitoring facility workers for possible infection.
“In the United States, there have not been any identified cases of person-to-person transmission of avian influenza,” said Health Officer James Miller.
While the overall risk to Washingtonians is low, local farmers said the risk to already-struggling, family-owned farms couldn’t be higher.
If bird flu spreads to other poultry and dairy farms, farmers can be faced with animal deaths, lower milk and egg production, heightened costs, and more.
“Far too many farms of all kinds here in Washington state stand on the brink, just one crisis, such as bird flu, away from ending up over the edge and having to shut down,” said Jason Vander Kooy, vice president of Save Family Farming.
Kooy also owns two dairy farms in Mt. Vernon, with roughly 1,300 cows. So far, bird flu has not spread to any dairy farms in Washington state history, but an outbreak is currently hitting several dairy farms in Kittias and Yakima counties.
Rising labor costs and production expenses, coupled with overall low margins, have left many Washington farms on the brink of closure — prior to possible bird flu exposure.
Washington state lost 3,700 farms between 2017 and 2022, more than two farms per day, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture census data.
Kooy explained that a crisis like bird flu poses risks to his animals’ health and his workers’ safety and is out of farmers’ control.
“We can control the feed we give our cows, we can control the comfort of our cows,” he continued, “but when something like bird flu comes by, it’s a devastating hit.”
The affected Pierce County facility is under quarantine, and disease control measures are underway. Eggs from infected birds will be destroyed and will not enter the food supply.
Chicken and eggs from other farms remain safe to eat, the Washington State Department of Agriculture said.
Flock owners within 6 miles of a detection are in a surveillance zone and are encouraged to report their flock’s health using the state’s online reporting tool and check the surveillance map.
Owners who see sudden illness or multiple bird deaths can also call the state’s Sick Bird Hotline at 800-606-3056.
Source: komonews.com
