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The United States has cut funding for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. This sparked rage from American agricultural trade groups and halted a critical program to monitor the surge in bird flu outbreak.
The Trump administration’s radical cuts to overseas development funding wiped out $160 million from FAO’s health security efforts, and shut down initiatives that monitor and contain H5N1 bird flu even as they cleaned the continent.
“Given the potential impact of these outbreaks on the US and countries around the world, FAO is urgently working to secure alternative funding to maintain essential animal disease surveillance and management activities,” Deputy Director Beth Beddle said.
Data seen by FT shows that the closure of the USAID-funded Global Health Security Programme means that around 64 projects will be eliminated in 51 countries.
Surveillance for birds traveling in the Atlantic corridor through El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, which helped protect US industries, has been closed.
Another project, which is working with the country to collect data from flyaways along the Pacific coast north of Argentina, has taken away eggs and major statistics poultry producers in Colombia in California and the UK.
Even further away, the Trump administration has scrapped programs that mitigate the outbreak of avian influenza in hot spots such as Cambodia and Vietnam by detecting virus flare-ups and helping to develop vaccines faster.
The outbreak spreads from birds to other species, including cattle, poses a wide range of risks to American agriculture.
“We’re excited to be able to help you get the most out of your life,” said Roberta Wagner, senior vice president of the US-based International Dairy Food Association. “The loss of global surveillance and early warning capabilities related to avian influenza and other global health risks urges FAO to support these functions.”
The US Poultry and Egg Export Council said bird flu had “devastating effects” on the exports of poultry and eggs around the world. Greg Tyler said the US withdrawal from FAO could make it difficult for US exporters to access international markets.
This warning adds to the fear of reducing the US’s own efforts to combat the outbreak of H5N1 nationwide. Over 330 million birds have been culled in the US in 2025 alone, with billions of dollars in losses and prices of eggs and poultry rising sharply, leading to a political flashpoint.
Spreading of the pathogen to all 50 states has sparked a warning that viral mutations can transmit it among humans and even threaten the pandemic.
Cuts also create a gap in defense against African pig fever and diseases such as mouth and mouth, Bedl said.
According to the US Council on Poultry and Egg Exports, the current avian flu outbreak began in the United States, but is now the worst country, spreading to all major poultry producers in the world outside of Brazil.
More than 50 US trade associations wrote to the US Secretary of State last month, urging the Trump administration to maintain FAO membership and boost funding and rolling out U.S. staff.
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The US agencies involved in managing avian flu are also caught up in the Trump administration’s drastic efforts to cut funding for public science and health agencies, including reported employment cuts in the agricultural sector and the Food and Drug Administration.
A reduction in bird flu monitoring efforts will lead scientists to warn world leaders to strengthen their responses. Last month, the medical journal The Lancet: Regional Health, Americas wrote at the end of last month that “to alleviate bird flu” (to alleviate bird flu” (to alleviate bird flu).
More than 70 people in the US have been diagnosed with avian flu since last year, with one death.
Government figures show that other species are being affected.
Globally, the number of new avian influenza outbreaks rose 91% between January and February 2025 to 980.
Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Department of Agriculture (NASDA) and signator of the letter to Rubio, said state-level regulators are concerned about cutting funding not only for FAO but also for the agricultural sector and the Food and Drug Administration.
However, he pointed out that much of the US agricultural sector is a Trump-leaning conservative who recognizes the need for financial restraint given the country’s nearly $3.7 billion in government bonds.
Data visualization by Clara Murray
