Seek Labs Awarded $2 Million Federal Grant for a Novel CRISPR-Based Therapeutic to Combat Avian Flu

Seek Labs, a private TechBio company building a programmable disease response platform to detect, protect, and counter disease threats, has been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to develop a novel, mutation-resistant therapeutic for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) using the company’s proprietary Programmable Target Ablation Platform (PTAP). The award is part of a broader federal push aimed at combating avian influenza, which has led to poultry production disruption, higher egg and poultry prices, and strained food supply...

The Retail Rundown: Cheaper Turkeys Hit Shelves Despite Wholesale Price Surge

This Thanksgiving, holiday shoppers might spot some relief: retail turkey prices have eased, even as wholesale values climb toward near-record highs.

Ongoing challenges, such as persistent bird flu outbreaks and relatively low hatch rates, have limited production all year, leaving supplies exceptionally thin ahead of the holiday. 

While retailers secure turkeys well in advance to build cold-storage inventories, frozen whole-bird stocks in 2025 remain near seasonal record lows, leaving little supply cushion...

ANALYSIS: EU Egg Product Market Faces Historic Highs Amid Tight Supply and Bird Flu Fears

As of mid-October 2025, the EU egg product market is under severe strain, with prices for dried whole egg, liquid, and dried yolk hitting record highs. A year of elevated shell egg costs, limited supply, and minimal inventory buildup has left the market exposed just as demand surges for the peak consumption season.

Unlike in previous years, the usual summer lull failed to ease prices, so September’s demand rebound only intensified pressure. Processors now face shrinking availability and soaring costs, particularly for...

Brazil Confirms First Bird Flu Outbreak on Commercial Poultry Farm in Nearly 20 Years 

Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) confirmed on Friday, May 16 an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in a breeder facility for commercial poultry. The outbreak was detected on May 15 in the municipality of Montenegro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where one of the largest poultry production facilities in the country is located.  

“This is the first HPAI outbreak detected in Brazil’s commercial poultry farming system,” Mapa said, and added that containment and eradication measures...