April 19, 2005

JUHNKE SAYS FUNDING FOR AVIAN FLU LAB INCLUDED IN HOUSE BONDING BILL

With awareness of the threat avian flu growing, State Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar) said he's confident that the $300,000 grant he got inserted into the House Capitol Investment Bill to renovate and modernize the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory in Willmar should make it into the final bill.

"This is needed and it makes sense," Juhnke said. "The key to dealing with avian flu is quickly identifying it and then isolating it before it can spread. We can do both of those things at the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory in Willmar."

Juhnke said the Willmar laboratory, which is a cooperative venture between the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and the University of Minnesota, has an excellent record of monitoring diseases in the poultry industry.

"The lab does all of the mandatory and voluntary control program testing for the state's poultry industry, helping to make sure that potentially harmful diseases don't develop and spread," Juhnke said. "Avian flu presents a real threat to Minnesota's poultry industry. Minnesota produces more than one billion pounds of turkey each year – more than any other state in the nation – and an outbreak could be devastating. That's why it's so important that we provide the Minnesota Poultry Testing Lab with the resources it needs to identify potentially infected flocks early and get them out of the system before they become a threat to others."

Juhnke said the $300,000 would allow the lab to improve efficiency, add new technology, increase testing capcity and provide results more quickly.

"This is a modest investment to protect what is close to a $1 billion industry in Minnesota," Juhnke said.