Exclusive: U.S. approves $330 million for bird flu outbreak in poultry

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The federal Office of Management and Budget has granted U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack the authority to transfer an additional $330 million in emergency funds for the agency’s handling of the quickly spreading avian influenza outbreak, USDA agency sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

The funds will be used to cover indemnity claims filed by poultry farmers whose flocks have been infected by the highly pathogenic H5 virus and other issues related to the outbreak, the sources told Reuters. The additional funds, added to the $84.5 million previously set aside by USDA for the outbreak, bring the federal costs so far to at least $414.5 million.

(Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

• Tom Vilsack