(Washington, D.C., February 27, 2025) — Following the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement of new measures to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), elected leaders and industry stakeholders from around the country are applauding the five-pronged strategy.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins joined FOX News to outline the Department’s strategy to strengthen biosecurity, support farmers, and ensure affordable food prices for American families.
Secretary Rollins also outlined her strategy in a Wall Street Journal op-ed and spoke with media about the plan following President Trump’s first Cabinet Meeting of this term.
Agriculture and Government Leaders Applaud USDA’s Plan to Address Avian Flu
Gov. Spencer Cox (UT) “I was grateful to meet with @SecRollins last week to review this plan, which is a huge win for American agriculture! @USDA is investing $1 billion to protect poultry farmers, strengthen biosecurity, and lower egg prices for families. This is a smart, necessary step to keep food affordable and secure in Utah.”
Gov. Brad Little (ID) “This is exactly the type of leadership we have been looking for from @USDA. I applaud @SecRollins & her team for taking on a literal kitchen table issue that Americans care about.”
Gov. Jim Pillen (NE) “Thank you @SecRollins & USDA for taking the lead on this critical animal health issue. We need an active response to skyrocketing prices and an immediate strategy to addressing avian flu.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds (IA) “Thank you, @SecRollins, for your strong leadership and bold strategy to combat HPAI. Iowa is ready to work with @USDA to fight this disease, support our farmers, and bring down egg prices for Americans.”
Gov. Larry Rhoden (SD) “@SecRollins ’ plan to lower egg prices and address Avian Flu will be a tremendous benefit to us here in South Dakota. I appreciate her leadership and am very encouraged by what I’m seeing!”
Sen. John Boozman (AR) “Producers and consumers alike have experienced the economic burden of this outbreak since 2022. I applaud Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration for prioritizing a strategy to combat this evolving threat. I look forward to working with USDA to ensure all poultry and livestock producers’ unique challenges are taken into consideration and they have the tools they need to address animal disease risks.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN) “The Department of Agriculture’s avian flu strategy is an important step to support our farmers who are losing flocks and help consumers facing skyrocketing egg prices. The administration must also confirm it has rehired all avian response staff fired in recent weeks, and ensure that no other avian flu and animal disease response efforts are impacted by recent firings and funding freezes.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (IA) “Thank you to @SecRollins for taking swift action to combat avian influenza and incorporating some of my ideas into USDA’s response strategy to mitigate this outbreak. Together we will protect our poultry farmers and reduce egg prices for American consumers.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (AL) “Thank you, @SecRollins and the whole administration for fighting for our broiler chicken and egg producers. Alabama and other poultry-producing states across the country have been devastated by the bird flu, and this bold strategy is exactly what we need.”
Sen. Roger Marshall (KS) “This is real leadership at work. @SecRollins and I discussed this during her visit to Kansas last week. Good to see swift action from @USDA to address a crisis affecting farmers and all Americans. This move will improve biosecurity and lower food prices. That’s how it’s done.”
Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA) “I want to thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for laying out a clear and effective strategy to combat the avian flu outbreak. Today’s announcement and investment will help bring relief to consumers and better tools for industry and I look forward to assisting the Administration, states, and stakeholders address animal health and bring stability to egg prices.”
Rep. Dave Taylor (OH) “Congress must support @USDA to combat high egg prices & keep food affordable for Ohio families. I'm eager to work with @SecRollins & the Trump Administration to drive grocery prices down for American families & bolster our Nation's agriculture industry.”
Rep. Tracey Mann (KS) “When President Biden botched his response to the HPAI problem, he also lost the trust of our trading partners, forced American families to pay more for eggs and other goods at the grocery store, and made America less safe. President Trump and Secretary Rollins are providing a new direction in their decisive actions to provide overdue relief for America’s poultry and dairy producers and all consumers. For years, I underscored to the Biden Administration the importance of investing in animal health research and allocating resources to outbreak prevention rather than outbreak control. Instead of working with farm-district representatives like me, the Biden Administration continued to implement overreaching regulations that further hindered America’s agricultural producers and drove up costs. I am grateful that President Trump and Secretary Rollins have rejected that nonsense. As the representative in Congress for part of the animal health corridor, which leads the U.S. in world renown research and development, I am confident in President Trump’s direction to protect our food supply and limit animal disease outbreaks. This is the type of leadership America deserves.”
Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA) “I applaud the Trump administration’s announcement of its HPAI strategy to end the surge of bird flu cases, support our producers, and lower egg prices for our families. I am glad to see many provisions that I have called for outlined in this strategy, including fairer indemnity payments for our producers, increased biosecurity measures on our farms, and an aggressive, yet voluntary, vaccination strategy to prevent mass depopulation of chickens and turkeys. I thank Secretary Rollins for her rapid work and response to the bird flu outbreak and look forward to working with USDA and the Trump administration to bring egg prices down, stand with our producers, and prevent and mitigate the spread of foreign animal disease.”
Rep. Brandon Gill (TX) “Thank you @SecRollins for putting Americans first at the Department of Agriculture. Texas is proud.”
Rep. Lisa McClain (MI) “President Trump inherited a run-down economy and a supply chain crisis. Unlike the Biden administration, President Trump and @SecRollins already have a plan to address the rising egg prices. Thank you, @POTUS and @USDA, for putting together this comprehensive strategy.”
Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA) “I’m grateful to @SecRollins for laying out a strong plan to lower egg prices, protect America’s farmers and producers, and meaningfully combat avian influenza. This is the type of transparency and clarity Americans deserve. Poultry farms are essential to Iowa's economy, and I will continue working with @USDA as we explore ways to protect our food supply chain, health, and the livelihood of farmers.”
Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur “The plan put forth by @SecRollins and her team at @USDA will provide immediate relief to poultry producers and to families at the grocery store. We appreciate her fast action and concern for consumers and farmers and ranchers.”
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell “Poultry is Kentucky’s number 1 Ag commodity! Thank you @SecRollins and @POTUS for this quick, positive and effective leadership on such a pressing issue! Let’s get these egg prices down, Making Groceries Great Again!”
The White House “@USDA, @SecRollins’ plan to fix egg prices after Biden failed to act on repeated outbreaks: - $500M for farm biosecurity - $400M for farmer relief - $100M for R&D - Cutting red tape & costly regs - Safe imports to lower prices Help is on the way for Americans!”
House Committee on Agriculture “@SecRollins plan to fix egg prices after Biden failed to respond to the outbreaks: - $500M for farm biosecurity - $400M for farmer relief $100M for R&D - Cutting red tape & costly regulations - Importing safe eggs to lower prices.”
House Committee on Agriculture “Under @SecRollins, @USDA is wasting no time to tackle the avian flu and get egg prices under control.”
Senate Ag Committee Republicans “Chairman @JohnBoozman applauds @SecRollins for prioritizing a strategy to combat avian influenza.”
Texas Department of Agriculture “Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller applauds United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins for her decisive action in addressing the ongoing avian influenza outbreak. Her five-prong plan makes it clear that tackling this crisis is the USDA’s number one priority—something that was sorely lacking under the Biden Administration. For too long, Washington has ignored the impact of this outbreak on farmers, ranchers, and consumers. The Biden Administration allowed egg prices to skyrocket while doing little to curb the spread of the virus. Rather than finding and investing in better solutions for limiting the spread and treating the virus, we’ve been forced to cull over 166 million birds. That’s not a strategy—it’s a failure of leadership, one that our poultry producers and consumers are paying for. Secretary Rollins is taking action by sharpening biosecurity measures, developing vaccines tailored to this evolving strain, and applying critical funding to research to prepare better and protect our agricultural industry. This is the type of leadership we need—bold, proactive, and focused on results. I stand ready to work alongside Secretary Rollins and her team to ensure Texas farmers and ranchers have the tools to fight this disease, protect their livestock, and keep food prices stable for American families.”
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Services “Iowa's poultry farmers have been hit hard by H5N1 HPAI. I am grateful to Secretary Rollins and USDA for making this issue a top priority. Secretary Rollins and her team at USDA have introduced a broad, five-pronged plan to better support poultry producers and tackle rising egg prices for families. Enhanced biosecurity is the best way to protect our flocks from any virus. Secretary Rollins has pledged $500 million to support on-farm biosecurity assessments and cost-share funding, which will help farmers make necessary infrastructure improvements. The plan also commits $400 million to update indemnity tables, something I called on USDA to do last year, to ensure farmers are receiving fair market rates for impacted birds. I am supportive of exploring an effective H5N1 HPAI vaccination strategy. I encourage USDA to work closely with state animal health officials, farmers and industry to formulate an implementation strategy, incorporate valuable lessons learned, and minimize potential negative trade impacts. Our team at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship appreciates the strong partnership we have with USDA. We look forward to working together to create a modern and effective H5N1 HPAI response strategy.”
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ remarks made to NASDA members this morning announced that these steps are already underway, and NASDA stands ready to collaborate with USDA and federal agencies to ensure the United States’ collective response to HPAI is coordinated, efficient and effective at all levels.”
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall “We appreciate USDA’s blueprint for tackling avian influenza America’s farmers are committed to ensuring a safe and abundant food supply, and these investments to advance biosecurity and research will further equip them to combat the threat of HPAI.”
American Farm Bureau Federation “America’s farmers are committed to ensuring a safe and abundant food supply, and they take the threat of Highly Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI) seriously,” said AFBF economist Bernt Nelson. “Strict biosecurity measures on the farm and the depopulation of infected birds are evidence of the extreme lengths’ farmers go to protect the health of the national flock and the American public. Farm Bureau supports research to develop a safe, effective, and practical vaccine for HPAI in birds. In the meantime, containing the spread of the virus is a priority.”
Texas Farm Bureau “Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) thanks President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for working on a comprehensive strategy to combat the avian flu outbreak and providing common sense solutions to stabilize egg prices. We also thank Secretary Rollins for taking time to recently meet with TFB county leaders and other agricultural organizations in East Texas to hear firsthand about the issues facing the poultry sector. TFB looks forward to our continued work with the administration to create more opportunities for Texas farmers, ranchers and consumers.”
National Milk Producers Federation “Dairy farmers and cooperatives appreciate USDA’s leadership in supporting American agriculture and safeguarding animal health as it deals with what soon will be a second year of H5N1 bird flu disruptions in dairy cattle. Dairy farmers and all of agriculture takes biosecurity seriously, and we thank USDA and the Trump Administration for actions that will further those efforts. “We support the department’s initiatives to advance vaccine development and deployment that will help control, and ultimately eliminate, the virus in dairy cattle. And we also want to remind consumers that, even as dairy farmers are working with veterinarians and officials at all levels of government to eliminate this animal health threat, milk for consumers remains safe to drink because of the effectiveness of pasteurization.”
International Dairy Foods Association “The International Dairy Foods Association is grateful to Agriculture Secretary Rollins for investing up to $100 million in new and ongoing research into animal vaccinations and therapeutic tools to manage highly pathogenic avian influenza in our nation’s dairy herds and commercial poultry flocks. We continue to urge USDA and its federal partners to act quickly to develop and approve the use of safe, effective bovine vaccines to guard against current and future strains of avian influenza affecting U.S. dairy. It is essential that the federal government work with our industry to ensure a vaccination strategy is feasible and cost-effective for farmers while working with international trading partners to assure the use of vaccines does not limit or disrupt U.S. agricultural exports.”
The National Chicken Council “We applaud Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration for their desire and commitment to combat HPAI across all species – a common goal shared by U.S. broiler producers. Particularly, we appreciate the measured and science-based approach for the potential use of an effective and applicable vaccine for laying hens and turkeys, and the administration’s commitment to work with our trading partners to minimize any potential negative trade effects should a vaccine ever be used. As the administration works to remove unnecessary burdens to bring down the price of eggs, we will continue to encourage FDA to act on our petition to modify an Obama-era regulation that would release up to 400 million surplus broiler hatching eggs into the egg breaking market. We look forward to working with the administration, states, public health professionals and veterinarians to be part of the solution.”
United Egg Producers “UEP’s farmer-members thank President Donald Trump and the administration for stepping up to take action in the extraordinary fight against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). President Trump and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins have demonstrated their commitment to working alongside America’s egg farmers in addressing the devastation of HPAI on the U.S. egg industry by driving resources and expertise to where they are most needed.”
The Food Industry Association “We appreciate the strategy that U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Rollins and her team outlined to reduce avian flu outbreaks and look forward to working with USDA to maintain a safe, affordable and stable egg supply. Eggs are a critically important protein source for families and a key ingredient in many recipes. Consumers rely on all of us – producers, USDA, and food retailers and wholesalers – to keep eggs stocked, safe and affordable. We are optimistic that the strategy Secretary Rollins outlined along with the commitment of so many key players to work closely together and share information, strategies and tactics will result in the improved management and mitigation of avian flu."
American Veterinary Medical Association “New USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, just weeks into her role, is focused on combating avian flu, which has caused egg prices to soar nearly 53% in the past year. She aims to collaborate on solutions like vaccines, but warns there's no quick fix.”
The Pet Food Institute “PFI thanks USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins for introducing a comprehensive strategy to combat HPAI, which has been devastating for America’s poultry farmers, who are trusted by U.S. pet food makers to provide the high-quality ingredients used in cat and dog food,” said Dana Brooks, president and CEO of PFI. “U.S. pet food makers look forward to participating in discussions on how to best support USDA in implementing this critical five-point plan over the coming months. This includes working to ensure that egg imports meet strict U.S. safety standards so they can be used in safe, complete and balanced pet food that is fed to dogs and cats in 82 million U.S. households, as well as expanding the Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments pilot program and working with partners to explore possible vaccine and therapeutics options.”
The Meat Institute “We are glad to see @SecRollins swift and comprehensive actions on biosecurity for HPAI. We look forward to helping Sec. Rollins, President Trump and @USDA ensure there are no trade concerns as we work together to protect livestock and poultry.”
National Pork Producers Council “Egg prices have soared, and costly state mandates like CA Prop. 12 have only made it worse. Thank you, @SecRollins, for taking action to reduce regulatory burdens and lower food costs. There is bipartisan agreement for a fix to support farmers, consumers, and affordability.”
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