New virus is wiping out Minnesota turkey flocks, costing farmers $112M so far

There’s a new virus wiping out Minnesota turkey flocks, and unlike with bird flu the federal government doesn’t cover producers for losses.

Last year, Minnesota growers lost an estimated 2.2 million turkeys to avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), according to a study prepared for the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.

That amounted to $112 million in lost sales for turkey farms.

“The emergence of aMPV in turkey flocks poses significant challenges to producers, exacerbating the existing pressures on the industry,” the study said.

Minnesota is the nation’s leading turkey producer with 33.5 million birds raised last year, a steep decline from previous years due to compounding virus fatalities and decreasing demand.

The highly pathogenic bird flu, or avian influenza, outbreak that began in 2022 has claimed 6.4 million turkeys in Minnesota.

For bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides indemnity payments that help cover the cost of repopulating poultry barns, since federal policy requires flocks be euthanized when bird flu is detected.

In Minnesota, more than $178 million in federal assistance has been paid to poultry producers to date, according to a spending database.

With aMPV, also called swollen head syndrome, growers have been “challenged by its non-reportable status with the USDA and lack of funding available for losses incurred,” the study said.

“This report re-emphasizes the urgent need for indemnity program support from federal partners,” said Minnesota Turkey Growers Association president Jake Vlaminck. “The emergence of aMPV has created a new layer of economic uncertainty for our growers.”

The highly contagious respiratory disease, first detected in Minnesota flocks in April 2024, leads to decreased egg production and high mortality rates.

“Secondary infections often complicate the effects of aMPV, contributing to increased mortality rates,” the study found.

Turkey losses also led to a $24 million decrease in corn and soy sales, according to the report authored by Iowa-based Decision Innovation Solutions.

Researchers at South Dakota State University are racing to develop a vaccine for aMPV.

“We are working hard to provide the vaccines to producers,” SDSU assistant professor Sunil Mor said in a December news release. “Our target is ... hopefully in the fall, to complete all vaccine trials.”

Tamer Sharafeldin, a veterinary pathologist with SDSU, said Friday that although mortality rates from aMPV were comparable with those of bird flu in 2024, there’s a significant difference: Farmers are culling flocks of birds with avian influenza, while birds with aMPV are dying from the illness itself.

“This suggests the significant role of secondary bacterial infection in inducing elevated mortalities,” Sharefeldin said.

It follows, the researcher said, that farmers practicing proper biosecurity measures saw dramatically less mortality in flocks.

Christopher Vondracek of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.