Karen Hirsch
The USDA has a solution to bird flu. Why won’t they use it?
There’s a vaccine that could stop millions of birds from being killed during bird flu outbreaks. It's been validated by federal scientists. It’s proven effective in other countries. And the USDA refuses to authorize it.
This month, The Washington Post published a letter from our Senior Director of Corporate Engagement, Michael Windsor, in response to an article about the second human fatality from bird flu. In a common-sense piece, Michael pointed to the real reason the USDA isn’t vaccinating birds: politics. And that decision has consequences for animals, taxpayers, and public health alike.
With more than 37 million unique visitors each month, The Washington Post is one of the most influential platforms in the country. Getting this story in front of that audience means that the facts—including the ones the USDA would rather keep quiet—are now part of the national conversation.
The crisis unfolding behind closed doors
Since 2022, more than 18 million chickens have been killed under mandatory USDA protocols during bird flu outbreaks. If even one bird is infected with the virus, regulations state that every bird in that flock must be killed to stop viral spread. And the method farmers use to kill these birds is heartbreaking. It’s called ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+), and it involves sealing off airflow, pumping in heat, and allowing birds to die slowly from overheating.
Numerous veterinarians have been calling for an end to this horrific depopulation method. Just this month, veterinarians publicly challenged American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) guidelines that permit VSD+ and compensate farmers for the animals they killed—arguing that these indemnity payments end up rewarding farmers for refusing to invest in less cruel methods.
Ventilation shutdown is nothing short of animal torture. And you are paying for this cruelty. Taxpayers have footed the bill to the tune of more than $1 billion, reimbursing companies for these mass killings. And every time there’s a new outbreak, the virus gets another opportunity to mutate, raising the stakes for everyone.
Why won’t the USDA vaccinate birds?
As Michael pointed out in his op-ed, there is a vaccination for bird flu, and it’s proven to be effective. When France faced the same crisis, they vaccinated their birds and saw cases drop dramatically.
The United States already has a vaccine ready to go and validated by federal scientists. Looking at countries that have implemented vaccination programs, the research shows that vaccination works: it minimizes viral spread, meaning drastically fewer facilities need to exterminate their entire flocks.
Notably, the bird flu vaccine has received bipartisan support. Just this month, a group of US senators from both sides of the aisle called on the USDA to prioritize a science-based vaccination strategy.
Biosecurity measures alone can’t contain a virus moving through one of the most poultry-dense regions in the country, but vaccination makes a huge difference. So why isn’t the USDA using it?
When trade concerns trump science
As Michael’s letter pointed out, the reason is political, not scientific.
Facilities raising “broiler” chickens, or chickens raised for their meat, have lost relatively few birds to this virus compared to egg and turkey operations. And if chickens were vaccinated against avian influenza, current international trade rules mean that US broiler chicken exports would have to be restricted. So companies producing broiler chickens have successfully lobbied the USDA to avoid vaccinating—prioritizing trade over a tool that could save millions of lives.
The result is a policy that protects one segment of the industry while leaving everyone else to bear the devastating consequences. That means egg farmers, turkey farmers, taxpayers, public health officials, and most of all, the animals themselves.
What comes next, and what you can do
This decision is part of a pattern that keeps showing up again and again in our food system: corporate interests shaping policy in ways that keep the public in the dark and animals in harm’s way. But people like you are changing that pattern.
Thanks to this op-ed in The Washington Post, millions of readers now know that there’s a vaccine the USDA is refusing to use. And that the reason has everything to do with protecting export markets and nothing to do with protecting animals or public safety. Letters to the editor in major national outlets, like this one, make it harder for agencies like the USDA to justify policies that don’t hold up under scrutiny.
The next wave of bird flu outbreaks is coming. The question is whether the USDA will continue prioritizing trade concerns over science, or whether public pressure will force a different approach. One thing is clear: the more people understand what’s really happening, the harder it becomes to defend the status quo.
You are helping to ensure that this kind of truth-telling breaks through. Every action you take, whether it’s pushing a company to follow through on a commitment or supporting legislation that protects animals, helps build the pressure for change. So keep adding your voice. Keep demanding accountability from corporations. Keep fighting for a better world for animals.
If you want to take action right now, call on decision makers at the American Veterinary Medical Association to end the use of ventilation shutdown.
