USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them

The United States Department of Agriculture on Tuesday acknowledged that, over the weekend, it accidentally fired “several” agency employees who are working on the federal government’s response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak.

In a statement, the agency said it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.

“Although several positions supporting [avian flu] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”

The spokesperson noted that several agency positions were already exempted from the sweeping cuts President Donald Trump’s administration is making across the federal government, adding that the Agriculture Department “continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

The episode comes as the virus has decimated poultry flocks and has sent egg prices soaring. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 68 cases among humans in the U.S. so far.