Egg farmers have long participated in several very successful Federal and State programs designed to monitor, detect, control and eradicate poultry diseases found in egg layers. In recent years, outbreaks of “bird flu” in several parts of the world have raised concern about the spectra of a pandemic flu in humans caused by influenza in wild and domestic poultry. Cases of human influenza illnesses and deaths linked to avian influenza have been in countries that still use production practices long abandoned by commercial egg farmers in the U.S. (free-range flocks). Still, U.S. egg farmers have concern that the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPIA) present in some Asian and European countries could
“fly-in” to our country via infected migratory birds or “walk-in” via a traveler infected with the disease.

Egg farmer participate in the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), a cooperative effort between USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services, states and industry to improve the quality of poultry and poultry products by eradicating a number of poultry diseases. Through the NPIP, avian influenza viruses that have shown the potential to become highly pathogenic are monitored in commercial flocks throughout the U.S. Over the last few years, egg farmers again worked with USDA, state and private animal health professionals to establish and maintain an important early-warning program for the control of avian influenza.