Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride aims to tackle bird flu with new legislation: SAVE Our Poultry Act
Chicken production is Delaware's top industry, contributing billions in economic activity and creating thousands of jobs, according to the state.
Over the last few years, the industry has been plagued with avian influenza.
New legislation introduced on Thursday is hoping to tackle the issue.
"We've done this our whole lives," said Mike Puglisi.
Puglisi is one of the second-generation owners of Puglisi Egg Farms.
CBS News Philadelphia was shown the family farm property in Middletown, Delaware, from outside the fence due to biosecurity and ongoing concerns over avian influenza.
"Nine chicken houses are straight ahead," he said.
It's a disease he knows all too well.
"It was February of 2022, we were the first commercial layer flock in the United States to contract avian influenza," Puglisi said.
The entire flock was culled. It took months to restart production.
"Once you get that determination, your fate is sealed," he said. "Nothing comes or goes from the farm."
Biosecurity is more important now than ever, Puglisi said, to avoid ever having to go through a bird flu outbreak again.
"When the avian flu hit in Iowa, we decided we better have something here to disinfect," he said.
Puglisi said after the 2022 incident, the team also installed a speaker playing predatory bird calls and a laser system to scare birds away.
"We're trying to get back to a point where we can produce eggs and not be worried every day," he said.
A little more than three years after everything happened on the egg farm in Middletown. Puglisi's story inspired legislation.
"While Mike was fortunately able to survive that financial toll, many farmers wouldn't be able to," said Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride.
On Thursday morning, McBride introduced the "Supporting Avian Virus Eradication," known as the "SAVE Our Poultry Act." It came after a meeting with Puglisi.
"This legislation designates avian flu as a topic for increased research funding at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so that we meet the scale of this crisis with a response that reflects the urgency," McBride said.
CBS News Philadelphia is still waiting to hear back from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services for comment on the legislation.
While there's a long process ahead for the bipartisan legislation in Washington, Puglisi is hopeful.
"Just the fact that they're introducing legislation and people are listening is already a victory," he said.
