(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says confirmed cases of bird flu among poultry and dairy cattle in northwest Iowa are a crisis — and another reason congress needs to pass the Farm Bill this year. “There’s a lot of dollars in for avian influenza and African swine fever. These are massive things,” Feenstra says, “and if African swine fever would ever hit Iowa, it would be catastrophic to start euthanizing our hogs.”

Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district, says 25 million birds in Iowa have been impacted by avian influenza. African Swine Fever, which is fatal to hogs, has not been detected in the United States.