The US Department of Agriculture is moving forward with plans to develop and potentially implement a nationwide mass bird flu vaccination strategy for poultry, raising significant concerns about both trade implications and public health risks.
The agency told Reuters this week that it is creating a formal vaccination plan in coordination with egg and turkey industry groups and aims to complete it by July.
The USDA’s plan would mark the first time it formally includes consideration of how vaccination might impact poultry exports. Export partners have traditionally been wary of vaccinated flocks due to concerns about surveillance limitations and disease masking, which could trigger trade restrictions.
Industry proposals reportedly include a routine vaccination schedule beginning in early chick stages, with booster shots and regular testing. Meanwhile, critics warn that the government is entrenching itself in a dangerous cycle of managing both the cause and the cure.
Of particular concern is the USDA’s ongoing gain-of-function research involving avian flu viruses – controversial experiments that can enhance the transmissibility or virulence of pathogens. Critics argue that these efforts, paired with vaccine development, risk engineering the very outbreaks that officials are now preparing to contain.
In February, the USDA quietly granted Zoetis – a Pfizer spin-off – a conditional license for an H5N2 bird flu vaccine, despite the dominant circulating strain being H5N1. This has led to questions about whether authorities are laying the groundwork for a vaccine-driven public health emergency.
The Trump administration’s $500 million initiative to create a universal bird flu vaccine, along with continued CDC and FDA participation in World Health Organization pandemic planning meetings, has further raised eyebrows – particularly since it comes amid renewed use of extended public health emergency powers through 2025.
With over $1 billion already spent compensating farmers for culled flocks, some observers argue the US government’s response appears less focused on prevention and more aligned with facilitating a new wave of pandemic infrastructure. The USDA insists the plan is still in development, but the accelerated pace and alignment with pharmaceutical interests have triggered alarm among vaccine skeptics and food safety advocates alike.
This article was originally published by the Daily Telegraph New Zealand.
