Bird flu found in Western Iowa turkey farm

A commercial turkey flock of about 30,000 birds in Sac County recently was infected by the very contagious and deadly avian flu, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

It is the fourth detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Iowa poultry this year, and the third this month.

Entire flocks are culled under long-standing federal guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus, although the Trump administration has signaled it might shift that policy in light of the soaring prices of eggs. About 6.7 million egg-laying chickens were destroyed in Iowa in December.

Wild birds are often an initial source of viral transmission. Preventing the farm-to-farm spread of the virus became a priority after an outbreak in 2015, when it caused most of the new flock infections in Iowa.

Other detections in Iowa this year include:

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