Vermont SR 14: Senate resolution strongly urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expedite the establishment and implementation of an avian influenza vaccine national reserve and distribution system for small- and medium-sized poultry farms

Bill Text

VTLEG#382914 v.1
State of Vermont
Senate Chamber
Montpelier, Vermont
Senate Resolution
Offered by Senators Hardy, Collamore, Heffernan, Major and Plunkett,
S.R. 14. Senate resolution relating to strongly urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expedite the establishment and implementation of an avian influenza vaccine
national reserve and distribution system for small-and medium-sized poultry farms.
Whereas, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), there is an HPAI (highly
pathogenic avian influenza) H5N1 virus present worldwide and outbreaks among U.S. domestic birds (including poultry)
are continuing to occur, and
Whereas, as of April 9, 2025, the CDC reported that HPAI H5N1 had stricken 168,771,718 birds in commercial,
hobbyist, and backyard poultry flocks in 1,680 outbreaks across the country, and
Whereas, the severity of this avian flu outbreak cannot be minimized, and
Whereas, to date, the CDC has assessed that HPAI H5N1 poses a low risk to humans, but nonetheless, one person has
died, 70 cases have been reported, and the potential for additional human impact cannot be ignored, and
Whereas, APHIS has created a five-prong set of responses to the animal health crisis encompassing investment in
gold-standard biosecurity measures for all U.S. poultry; increased relief to aid farmers and acceleration of repopulation;
removal of unnecessary regulatory burdens on the chicken and egg industry to further innovation and reduce customer
prices; the exploration of pathways toward vaccines, therapeutics, and other strategies for the protection of egg-laying
chickens to reduce instances of depopulation; and the consideration of temporary import-export options to reduce costs
and the evaluation of international best practices, and
Whereas, although these steps attempt to address aspects of the continuing presence of the HPAI H5N1 avian virus in
the nation’s poultry flocks, there must be a more comprehensive and direct measure to halt the spread and reduce, if not
eliminate, the presence of the virus, and
Whereas, on February14, 2025, the USDA issued a conditional license to Zoetis for an avian influenza vaccine, H5N2
Subtype, Killed Virus, intended for use in chickens, and
Whereas, although the approval is conditioned on the “demonstration of safety, purity, and reasonable expectation of
efficacy based on serology data,” the need for this vaccine is immediate, and
Whereas, this new Zoetis vaccine is an updated version of a vaccine originally issued in 2001 and 2002, when an
avian influenza outbreak occurred in Southeast Asia, and
Whereas, in 2014 and 2015, during a prior avian flu outbreak, the federal government created a national avian flu
vaccine stockpile, which, while not used, was ready for deployment, and
Whereas, the rapid federal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates that, with the necessary planning, the
complex logistics required for an accelerated national stockpiling/deployment of an avian flu vaccine is possible, and
Whereas, the continuing avian flu crisis and its impact on commercial, hobby, and backyard poultry flocks demands a
decisive and prompt federal response, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate of the State of Vermont strongly urges the USDA and the CDC to expedite the establishment and
implementation of an avian influenza vaccine national reserve and distribution system for small- and medium-sized
poultry farms, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to send a copy of this resolution to the U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture; the Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets; the Acting Director of the CDC; and the Vermont
Congressional Delegation.