The largest producer of fresh eggs in the United States reported this Tuesday that it had temporarily halted production at a Texas farm after detecting bird flu in its chickens. The virus was also found at a Michigan poultry facility.
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, reported in a statement that nearly 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 young hens, 3.6% of the total, were euthanized due to the infection at a facility in California County. Parmer (Texas).
Egg boxes from Cal-Maine Foods in Jackson, Mississippi, on August 7, 2020.Rogelio V. Solis/AP file
The plant is located on the Texas-New Mexico border in the Texas Panhandle, about 85 miles southwest of Amarillo and about 370 miles northwest of Dallas. Cal-Maine explained that it sells most of its eggs in the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
"The company is working closely with federal, state and local authorities, and specialized industry groups, to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks and effectively manage the response," he said, in addition to "ensuring the production of other facilities and minimizing the impact to clients".
The company said there is no known risk of bird flu associated with eggs currently on the market, and none have been recalled. Properly handled and cooked eggs are safe, the Department of Agriculture said.
[A person contracts bird flu after coming into contact with infected dairy cows in Texas]
The announcement comes a day after Texas health authorities reported that a person was diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with suspected infected cows, stating that the risk to the public remains low. The human case in Texas is the first known case in the world of a person contracting this version of bird flu from a mammal, according to federal health authorities.
In Michigan, Michigan State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory detected avian flu at a commercial poultry facility in Ionia County, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The department explained that it received confirmation of the disease from the laboratory on Monday and that it is the fourth time since 2022 that it has been detected in a commercial facility in Michigan.
Department spokeswoman Jennifer Holton said Tuesday that state law prohibits the department from disclosing the type of poultry in the plants. The facility, about 100 miles northwest of Detroit, has been quarantined and no disruption to supply chains across the state is expected, she added.
Dairy cows in Texas and Kansas were reported last week to be infected with bird flu, and federal agriculture officials later confirmed more in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas. A dairy herd in Idaho was added to the list after federal agriculture officials confirmed detection of bird flu in them, the Department of Agriculture said.