Costa, McBride Lead Letter Urging USDA to Restore Full Bird Flu Surveillance as Holiday Season Approaches

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), Ranking Member of the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus, and senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, and Congresswoman Sarah McBride (DE-00) led dozens of Members of Congress in a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately restore full avian influenza surveillance and coordination amid renewed outbreaks across the country.

The request comes as poultry farmers nationwide confront a sharp rise in bird flu outbreaks — with more than 90 new detections in the last 30 days, and over 1.6 million birds infected, according to USDA data. In the State of California, the poultry and egg industry supports over 120,305 jobs and contributes nearly $121 billion to the national economy. Continued High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks threaten producers in the San Joaquin Valley, disrupt farm operations, and endanger local and national food supply chains. 

The economic impact is already reaching consumers: this year, Thanksgiving turkey prices have risen sharply, with wholesale prices surging 75% since October 2024 to $1.71 per pound. This follows a temporary dip from 2023 to 2024 and reflects the ongoing effects of HPAI, which first appeared in 2022. 

“We write to express our deep concern about the recent rise in avian influenza—a now seasonal epidemic impacting poultry farmers and driving up grocery prices across the United States…And as we approach the holiday season, it is concerning that without avian influenza surveillance at full capacity, families across America may eat without traditionally American-produced centerpieces on their holiday dinner tables.” the Members wrote.  

Costa warned that California’s poultry farmers—especially those in the San Joaquin Valley—are facing some of the most severe impacts from the current avian flu crisis. 

“The San Joaquin Valley is the heart of California agriculture, and our poultry farmers are on the front lines of the avian flu crisis. When they face challenges, we all pay the price—from farms to grocery stores,”said Rep. Costa.“Restoring full avian flu surveillance is essential to protecting our food supply and ensuring that the farmers who feed America get the coordinated support they deserve.” 

In the letter, Members sounded the alarm of reduced surveillance efforts, highlighting reports that the USDA-coordinated National Animal Health Laboratory Network had suspended its weekly calls, “reducing appropriate coordination and critical information sharing that is imperative to combating avian influenza.”

The letter also points out that furloughs and Reduction in Force actions (RIFs) at USDA and CDC are limiting real-time reporting capacities, hampering farmers’ ability to respond to outbreaks in real time and save their flocks from infection. 

The Members conclude with a clear request to the USDA: “We respectfully call on the Department to reestablish avian influenza surveillance and research programs to their prior level of excellence—and strengthen them further—to protect all poultry, dairy, and livestock farmers from further impact. Without swift action to reduce viral loads, the economic toll—from farm losses to rising grocery costs—will continue to grow.”  

The full letter is available here.