US chicken sector strong going into 2025
Although 2025 has only just begun, at this point, chicken production in the US is starting from a strong position.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently raised its latest chicken production outlook for the year based on new hatchery data. The agency has also raised its projection of broiler chicken exports upwards due to expectations that strong current shipments to Mexico will continue.
However, the USDA has slightly reduced its US egg production outlook due to lower numbers of laying hens as a result of continued outbreaks of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Also, projections for exports of egg and egg products have been “adjusted down on tight supplies and high prices”. Egg prices in 2025 are expected to be higher than in 2024.
Looking at turkey, production projections for 2025 have also been adjusted downward in the most-recent USDA report, a result of recent placement data and losses due to HPAI. As with eggs, turkey prices are therefore expected to be slightly higher in 2025 than last year.
HPAI compensation and control
While US poultry producers are doing their best to prevent outbreaks, more is about to be expected of those farmers who have had one outbreak already. That is, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released an ‘interim final rule’ on indemnity and compensation for these farms, with comments welcome until 3 March.
APHIS states that it has already conducted significant outreach to industry about potential changes to regulations at the same time that its staff have shared information about biosecurity best practices and conducted other types of on-farm engagement following HPAI detections.
A focus on biosecurity
APHIS will now require that farmers undergo a biosecurity audit before restocking their poultry after an HPAI detection, and before receiving future indemnity payments. Despite the combined efforts of APHIS, state and federal veterinary officials, and industry outreach, some poultry farmers continue to face biosecurity challenges and, in some cases, experience multiple infections on their farms, according to APHIS, adding that data shows that most poultry farmers have strong biosecurity plans in place and are able to prevent reinfection.
Since the beginning of the current cycle of HPAI outbreaks that began in 2022, APHIS has made indemnity payments to over 1,200 US poultry producers. Of these, 67 unique commercial poultry premises have had at least 2 HPAI infections during the current outbreak, including 18 premises infected 3 or more times.
Those with reinfections have received over US$365 million (€352 million) in indemnity payments, out of nearly US$1.1 billion (€1.06 billion) that has been distributed in total.
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