ST. PAUL, MN - Today, Governor Mark Dayton signed Chapter 12, HF 2225 into law, providing emergency response funding for avian influenza in Minnesota. The bill appropriates $514,000 to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and $379,000 to the Board of Animal Health for the costs of avian influenza emergency response efforts that are not covered by federal funding. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.

Last week, Governor Dayton issued Emergency Executive Order 15-09, declaring a Peacetime State of Emergency in Minnesota in response to the discovery of H5N2 avian influenza, which has now been discovered in turkey flocks at 72 farms in 19 counties across Minnesota.

For additional information and real-time updates about the state and federal responses to avian flu in Minnesota, visit the State Emergency Operations Center's website.

 

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the nation's leading health experts, despite the discovery of avian flu in some turkey flocks, turkey is 100 percent safe to eat. Properly handled poultry and poultry products, such as eggs, are absolutely safe to eat. There is no public health risk for any humans who have not had direct contact with infected birds.

This week, Governor Dayton hosted a Minnesota-grown turkey lunch at the Governor's Residence for interns working this spring in the Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The lunch featured a 25-pound turkey, which was raised in Glenwood, Minnesota. Minnesota is the nation's largest producer of turkey, with 450 farmers raising approximately 46 million turkeys annually, and generating nearly $800 million in economic activity every year.