(USDA-APHIS/WASHINGTON, July 22, 2022) — The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) in Seminole County, Florida. Samples from the flock were tested at the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, …
Avian Influenza Causing Losses of Egg Laying Hens
While the number of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases across the U.S. have outpaced the 2014-2015 outbreak, experts say the one key to controlling the spread of it is fast reaction to reported detections. Even so, USDA economist Matt Maclachlan notes avian influenza this year has caused the loss of about 2 million laying hens. And when it comes to …
Georgia State Veterinarian on HPAI Confirmation
Thursday, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial, backyard flock located in Toombs County, Georgia. Samples were taken on May 29th after the flock owners reported sick birds and an increased rate of mortality. After testing for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, …
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Confirmed in a Backyard Flock in Georgia
(ATLANTA/June 2, 2022) — The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) have confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial, backyard flock (non-poultry) located in Toombs County, Georgia. This is the first confirmation of HPAI in Georgia. Avian influenza does not pose a risk to the …
Fewer Poultry Losses Expected in Current Avian Influenza Outbreak vs 2015
Some wonder how the current avian influenza outbreak compares to the big one back in 2015. Gary Crawford has a story looking at how the two events do compare.
Vilsack Authorizes Additional CCC Funds for HPAI Response
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday approved Commodity Credit Corporation funding to assist USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service response to highly pathogenic avian influenza. The virus has been confirmed in 29 states, affecting more than 33 million domestic birds. APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials on joint incident responses in each affected state. To help ensure …
Poultry Industry Biosecurity Can’t Be Emphasized Enough
Due to highly pathogenic avian influenza being found in various states across the country, a USDA official says for the poultry industry right now there’s no such thing as too much biosecurity. Gary Crawford has more details.
Officials Urging Poultry Producers to Tighten Up Biosecurity Even More
On Saturday, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial layer chicken flock in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and a non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) in Utah County, Utah. Both cases were confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. APHIS is working closely with state …
Bird Flu Driving Egg Processing Costs Higher
Processed eggs go into items ranging from salad dressings to cake mix. Bloomberg says the prices for those eggs intended for processing are soaring to record highs because of the avian influenza outbreak. The rapid spread of influenza could make this one of the biggest outbreaks in history. Twenty million birds have been culled from the nation’s flocks, which is …
USDA Releases Equity Action Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made its Equity Action Plan (PDF, 500 KB) publicly available. The plan outlines actions USDA will take to advance programmatic equity to improve access to programs and services for underserved stakeholders and communities. All too often in the past, USDA programs and services were designed to benefit those with land, experience, money, and education while …