Leaders of the Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses, including Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chris Coons (D-DE), Reps. Steve Womack (R-AR) and Jim Costa (D-CA), have written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeking assurances to protect U.S. chicken exports if vaccination is considered to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
They highlighted concerns that vaccinating any poultry—whether egg layers, turkeys, broilers or ducks—could endanger the entire export market for U.S. poultry, as most trading partners do not accept poultry exports from countries that vaccinate due to fears of virus masking. This could result in a potential $10+ billion annual loss to the U.S. economy, significantly impacting the broiler industry, which exports about 16% of its production, valued at over $5 billion annually.
The letter emphasized that the broiler industry (chickens raised for meat) is separate from the egg-laying sector, with distinct supply chains and practices. They urged the USDA to ensure robust trade protections before considering any vaccination strategy to prevent severe economic impacts on the U.S. poultry sector.
National Chicken Council (NCC) President Harrison Kircher supported the letter, stressing the need for trade protections to safeguard broiler producers, who have been the least affected by HPAI but stand to lose the most from export restrictions.
