Cost of Bird Flu Outbreak to Bust Budget, Agriculture Chief Says

Government spending to fight the worst U.S. bird flu outbreak and compensate farmers for their losses will exceed the $410 million so far budgeted and may top a half-billion dollars, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

While the outbreak of avian influenza, which sent egg prices to record highs, may be ebbing with warmer weather in the Midwest, spending to fight the disease will outstrip what’s been approved, Vilsack told Bloomberg reporters and editors Monday in Washington.