WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons, co-founder of the Senate Chicken Caucus, applauded United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack’s recent comments about the importance of providing a safety net for farmers impacted by avian influenza (AI) in the Unites States. “I would strongly urge the Congress as it begins the process of considering future farm bills, to look for a way in which that issue could be addressed,” Vilsack said in House Committee on Agriculture hearing.
Last week, Sec. Vilsack highlighted the need for an insurance program for poultry growers to help them deal with AI outbreaks. Last year’s farm bill, the Agricultural Act of 2014, included an amendment sponsored by Sen. Coons to study that very issue. The study will examine the feasibility of creating an insurance program that would provide protection for growers in the event of a disease outbreak, like AI. It is currently underway and results are expected to be available this fall.
“I am pleased to see that Secretary Vilsack has highlighted the need for an insurance program to protect poultry growers in the event of an avian influenza outbreak, and I am glad the study I called for is underway,” said Sen. Coons. “I look forward to the results of the study in the fall and, I am ready to introduce legislation to protect our poultry farmers once we have that information in hand. We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this year’s devastating high-path avian influenza outbreaks, but we must also protect our farmers in the event that the disease continues to impact the poultry sector.”