NEW YORK (Sputnik) — Estimated 48 million birds have died as a result of the bird flu, with 223 reported detections in the United States since December 2014, according to the USDA.
“Despite being hit with one of the worst bird flu outbreaks in a generation, and ask egg prices are rising sky-high, Congress is looking to cut $500 million from the USDA’s [US Department of Agriculture] budget to help beat back the bird flu that caused this shortage and price increase in the first place,” Schumer said on Wednesday.
The widespread expiration of birds has resulted in the increase of the price of eggs for more than 35 percent in New York.
Schumer is asking lawmakers to reverse the budget cuts, which are set to go into effect in fiscal year 2016.
“It defies logic that Congress would cut funding to help out farmers prevent this outbreak from spreading,” Schumer said. “I am urging Congress to give USDA the research funds it needs before this egg shortage gets worse.”
The USDA currently uses the allocated $500 million of its funds to work with farmers and scientists as they research and develop ways to curb threats such as the bird flu, according to Schumer’s office.
Approximately 10 percent of all egg-laying hens in the United States have been infected by the bird flu, according to the USDA.
