Although much of the concern about a possible pandemic outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza revolves around human health outcomes, the potential repercussions on trade issues will also be significant. The United States is a major exporter of poultry products amounting to approximately $2 billion worth of broilers, turkeys, and eggs annually. International reporting of an avian influenza outbreak could have the effect of virtually stopping this trade–and that in other countries as well–overnight.

Chair: Toby Moore, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, Stone Mountain, Georgia. QTA2006-2, 8 pp., April 2006. Available free online.