Cal-Maine Foods is halting egg production at the Texas facility after bird flu was detected Achi-News

Reuters– The American egg producer Cal-Maine Foods has temporarily suspended production at its facility in Texas after the detection of bird flu, which has led to the culling of approximately 1.6 million laying hens, the company said today.

This comes amid growing concern over the rapid spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in birds and mammals and just a day after Texas reported the second case of the strain in a human in the US.

The company said it culled about 3.6 percent of its total flock last month, including 337,000 pullets – or young chickens, after its facility in Parmer Country, Texas, tested positive.

Cal-Maine said it is working with government officials and industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks.

Since 2022, 82 million US chickens, turkeys and other birds have been culled due to a deadly strain of the virus, which has spread to many corners of the world and has even been found on a frozen continent Antarctica.

Cal-Maine said no eggs have been recalled as there is no bird flu risk associated with eggs. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the flu cannot be transmitted through properly cooked eggs.

On Monday, the Texas and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a case of bird flu in a person who had contact with dairy cows thought to be infected with the virus, as the pathogenic flu very spread to new mammals, including dairy cattle.

The USDA said in February that the country was about 18 months away from identifying a vaccine for the current strain of bird flu.

The deadly strain has killed wildlife, including a few dolphins, about 50,000 seals and sea lions and about half a million birds in South America since it arrived in the region in 2022.