Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig applauded the USDA’s updated response to bird flu, emphasizing that poultry producers in the state have been hit hard by the H5N1 virus. Over 11 million chickens and turkeys in Iowa were killed by the virus or culled to prevent its spread last year.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture will pump $1 billion into fighting bird flu, the primary reason why consumers are struggling with egg prices that a new report projects will spike 41% this year.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest another $1 billion on top of the roughly $2 billion it has already spent battling bird flu since the latest outbreak began in 2022.