The following statement on Minnesota’s avian flu outbreak may be attributed to Walter Sánchez-Suárez, Animal Behavior and Welfare Scientist at Mercy For Animals:
This latest outbreak, on a Minnesota turkey farm, clearly indicates the severity of the H5N1 avian influenza epidemic that has ravaged U.S. poultry farms since 2022. The persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry and dairy farms at this time of year is deeply concerning for the coming months, when incidence of this infectious disease typically increases.
These more than 20,000 turkeys affected in Redwood County add to the ongoing H5N1 crisis, which has already led to the culling of nearly 175 million birds on farms since the epidemic began. The methods used cause profound animal suffering and have serious economic repercussions for producers and consumers. What’s more, due to possible interspecies transmission, this practice poses a worrying risk of epidemics in humans and other animal species.
Mercy For Animals demands rapid implementation of effective measures to end this dangerous epidemic and cruel culling as soon as possible. This means replacing the primary catalyst of the epidemic, the industrial animal agriculture model, with safe, efficient and sustainable food production that contributes to the well-being of everyone.
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