USDA Confirms It’s Working to Reverse Terminations of Fired Bird Flu Workers

A colorized electron microscope image released on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). CDC/NIAID via AP

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed on Feb. 19 that it is working to reverse terminations of workers who were responding to the bird flu epidemic that has swept the United States in recent months.

A spokesperson for the USDA told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that it will still “prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza,” a type of bird flu known as HPAI that has forced the culling of tens of millions of egg-laying hens in recent months and has sickened nearly 70 people.

Meanwhile, job categories such as animal health workers, veterinarians, and emergency response personnel have been “exempted from the recent personnel actions to continue to support the HPAI response and other animal health priorities,” the spokesperson said.

“Although several positions supporting HPAI were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” the spokesperson said. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”

The terminations come amid the Trump administration’s moves to downsize the federal workforce and reduce the size of the government, which prompted a lawsuit and court hearing on whether the government can initiate mass firings. Union groups sued the Trump administration, arguing that the moves run counter to Congress’s power of the purse.

Meanwhile, the bird flu outbreak has caused egg prices to skyrocket to an all-time high of $4.95 per dozen in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for eggs shot up 15.2 percent month-over-month, the data show.

A spokesperson for Trader Joe’s said customers are currently restricted to buying one carton of eggs per day at all locations around the United States. Other retailers such as Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Aldi, have imposed similar limits in some areas. Some chains such as Walmart have placed caps on bulk purchases, such as 60-count cartons, to prevent shortages.

“We hope these limits will help to ensure that as many of our customers who need eggs are able to purchase them when they visit Trader Joe’s,” the company said in a statement on Feb. 11.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed that as of Feb. 18, 68 people in the United States had been infected with the H5N1 bird flu and that one had died. The lone fatality was confirmed to be a Louisiana resident older than 65 with preexisting medical issues, officials have said.

“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures,” the agency said, noting that most human avian influenza cases involve people working on dairy farms and with commercial poultry flocks.

It also said there is “no known person-to-person spread at this time” in the country.

At the same time, more than 13 million egg-laying chickens in the United States were culled in December due to bird flu, according to the USDA.