How are poultry farms impacted by the avian flu virus?

An estimated 150 million birds have been killed either by bird flu, or by humans attempting to prevent its spread. According to the World Bank, in Vietnam alone, 44 million birds were killed, translating to a loss of 17 percent of the total population of poultry at a cost of $120 million (0.3 percent of GDP).

There have already been impacts on the poultry market: an outbreak of avian flu on a poultry farm in France prompted 43 countries to ban or restrict french poultry imports, Reuters reports, costing the french poultry industry $48 million a month. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that poultry consumption is likely to fall all over the world due to misconception about disease transmission--threatening the profitability of the industry. There was a 70 percent decline in poultry consumption in Italy in mid-February, the UN says.