The state’s poultry industry and Iowa’s secretary of agriculture are asking legislators to set aside more money to prepare for the worst — like another outbreak of the bird flu. Secretary Bill Northey says he needs an extra half million dollars to get more equipment and hire new staff…https://soundcloud.com/wnax-radio/northey-121a
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The 2015 bird flu outbreak was the largest animal health disease in U.S. history and resulted in the deaths of 31-and-a-half-million chickens and turkeys in Iowa. Greta Irwin of the Iowa Turkey Federation says the magnitude of last year’s outbreak caught state officials off-guard…
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Irwin says last year’s bird flu outbreak in Iowa was made worse by miscommunication and untrained government personnel. Irwin and Northey made their pitch to a House Committee yesterday (Wednesday). Governor Terry Branstad did not include more money for the animal health initiative in the budget outline he submitted to lawmakers last week.