WASHINGTON–Senator Grassley made the following statement after a hearing today held by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on the impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as avian influenza.
"The hearing was productive and provided an opportunity to hear directly from producers impacted by this outbreak. We were able to learn more about the effort to contain the disease from both producers and the government, and there were some clear areas for improvement identified. We also discussed what can be done to prevent the spread of the disease in the future. Many important issues were put on the table that will help us going forward in case an outbreak occurs again," Grassley said.
Two Iowans provided testimony at the hearing: Mr. James Dean, chairman of the United Egg Producers in Sioux Center, and Mr. Brad Moline, manager and owner of Moline Farms, LLC in Manson. This hearing came after a request by Senators Grassley and Joni Ernst to Chairman Pat Roberts for the committee to hold a hearing on the federal government`s response to the outbreak.
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