The holiday’s may still be months away, but some consumers are already raising red flags about the availability of turkey’s for the holiday meals.
Poultry industry leaders estimate they lost around 5.5 million turkeys in the spring of 2022 because of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Now, the fall movement of wild birds has triggered some additional outbreaks in states like Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana and Wisconsin. How big of a threat is this fall outbreak to turkey supplies for the holidays?
Pam Jahnke visits with Beth Breeding of the National Turkey Federation, on how they’re monitoring infections, and reassuring consumers about bird supply. While Breeding acknowledges the 5.5 million birds lost this spring was a big hit to the industry, it’s still a lower number that the HPAI incident they experienced in 2015.
Breeding says for consumers worried about finding the right bird for your holiday feast – start shopping early. She says if you’re looking for a specific size of bird, or type – that’s something you can be proactive in searching for. Breeding says the volume of frozen turkey’s available is ample.
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