Determining Poultry Indemnity Values: Examples and Lessons Learned from Poultry Disease Outbreaks in Canada and the United States

Avian influenza disease outbreaks in both Canada and the United States resulted in the depopulation of several million birds. Both countries have laws and regulations stating that owners will receive indemnity from the government to compensate for assets taken or destroyed. Government economists from both countries were charged with the task of determining value upon which indemnity was based. This paper explores the process used to determine value in an industry where market prices are not always observable.