Poultry joins red meat shortages

Poultry veterinarians in Minnesota believe an outbreak of avian flu has spread between farms, indicating the implementation of a U.S. strategy to contain the deadly bird disease failed in at least some cases.

Virulent H5 avian influenza strains have spread to 14 states in five months and affected about 26 million birds in the worst outbreak of the disease in U.S. history, according to the USDA. Officials believe this is a new strain and there is no immunity with in the flocks. If a flock is infected, mortality is 90%.

Wild birds are thought to be carriers of the flu virus, which can be t...