Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has declared a peacetime state of emergency in response to the avian influenza epidemic afflicting Minnesota turkey farms. Dayton said the order will tighten lines of authority in state and local government and allow his office to properly coordinate planning between the Board of Animal Health, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The National Guard is not being called up, but the guard is participating in collaborative planning. Roughly 2.5 million birds have been destroyed in Minnesota thus far as a result of the avian influenza outbreak. Minnesota processed 43 million turkeys last year.
Dave Frederickson, commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, said there is no threat to human health. “The poultry on grocery store shelves is safe and will continue to be safe,” he said. However, he did urge farmers to contact the department if they need help and to practice strict bio-security on their farms.
The United States Department of Agriculture currently has 134 workers on the ground in Minnesota, while the state has 86. The USDA will pay for flock indemnification, depopulation, carcass disposal, and testing. Dayton said he has apprised legislative leaders, and that they have pledged support: “Right now everybody is pulling together, and that’s how it should be.”
