Minnesota has declared a state of emergency as multiple strains of bird flu have ravaged farms.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) stated in a press release that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board established the emergency following three outbreaks.
Those included avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus.
The state of emergency allows Minnesota farmers who have experienced livestock losses to access funds through zero-interest disaster recovery loans, according to the above source.
An MDA spokesperson confirmed with Fox News Digital that this declaration is a “formality the Rural Finance Authority Board must take in order to open up the Disaster Recovery Loan Program to farmers.”
“The declaration has no impact beyond that and affects no other funding or programs.”
The loan program provides funds for expenses not covered by insurance, according to the MDA, including replacement of flocks or livestock, building improvements, or loss of revenue due to animal disease outbreaks.
Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen wrote in a statement that this is an “important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases.”
